As a coach with parents and young people, I’ve often heard the reason for a breakdown in communications is the “lack of time” due to our busy schedules. I’m sure all of us are guilty of that in one way or the other. So in this short post, I’m going to share some ideas on what we can do as parents with our families!

Making time for our loved ones can be taught in these ways:

T – Touch

Yes, taking time to touch, express affection, give hugs, and kisses and just a simple act of holding hands on a consistent or even surprise them can be amazing! Do this to your spouse, and your kids and allow your child to grow up in an environment the celebrates intimacy and connection. Try it!

I – Involvement

Especially for children, we have to find ways to be involved in their activities somehow. You don’t need to be with them all the time but simply be least in one of those activities in their growing up years can go a long way. When is the last time you attended and watched their school performance? Joined them to observe the games and shows that they are watching?

M – Meals

Let’s face it. We need to eat no matter how busy we are. So that’s the one common denominator amongst any age across our loved ones. So how about trying to do something that we all need to do with just one loved one if we can? And having the whole family together is a bonus! So do start looking at your weekly schedules together. Plan towards one common slot that everyone tries to come together for this meal.

E – Express words of affirmation

We can be really stingy with our words of affirmation to our children at times. A simple reminder to them of “I love you” on a constant basis can deposit into their emotional tanks in the long haul. Or it can be as simple as “thank you for trying your best” even though they may not be scoring 100 marks, it’s the effort that we want to celebrate.
Alright at the end of the day, in our context of a busy cosmopolitan society like Singapore, let’s strive to make “T.I.M.E.” for our loved ones so that we can see our family relationships strengthened.

Today if you are struggling a little as a parent and would like some input and coaching, feel free to drop me a note at joe@coachjoechan.com. I will be happy to provide you with some perspectives and coach you to be the best version of yourself!

Love,

Coach Joe Chan

PS: You can read another post of mine on the same topic over here 👉 https://www.acekids.me/post/making-time