How to Encourage Your Child’s Time with Dad
Growing up my parents put me to bed every night. Not just as a little girl, but through all the years I was home. They called it “Special Time.” Generally it was my Dad who did the nightly routine. Studies show that a girl who has a solid relationship with her father, will also develop strong healthy relationships later.
My husband and I do the same thing with our kids. It looks like this: Story or Book, Song, Prayer, and Cuddles. Truth – my husband does it 99.9% of the time. Usually I just go up for cuddles. I think I’m just not as “good” at it. I’m tapped out from the day and just really, really want them to fall asleep.
Fortunately, my husband recognizes this special quality time with them. As Janet Mancini puts it, kids are “weak” at this time of the day! They confide things that they wouldn’t normally share. As their brains are turning off, sometimes important events from the day pop up. Janet also said, “You should never pass up the opportunity to spend that time with them, to listen, and to pray over your children.” One “rule” my parents had for Special Time: you could never get in trouble for anything you shared during this time. This allowed us to be more open, honest, and put our brains to rest at the end of the day. We follow the same guidelines. From my own experience, it can make a tough day all right again and grows your relationship with your child.
Bedtime Routine Notes:
- My kids cherish this one-on-one time with their Dad.
- If I’m called on to do it, I usually ask them to go up and read for 10 minutes before I join them. This gives me a little bit of time to collect myself and want to spend time with them again.
- We do their story together and then split up into separate rooms.
- We don’t let one child interrupt the other child’s special time.
- Tap into your child’s Love Language to really show them / tell them how much you care. Fill their love tanks up – they’ll sleep well and be ready to face the new day. Want to find out your child’s love language? Go here.
iMOMS has”Pillow Talk” a great way to grow memories. Many adults will say that their favorite childhood memory was quiet talks – about anything – at bedtime.
What type of night time routine do you have with your children?