By Laurie Twitchell
With three young children vying for your attention, it’s hard to make everyone happy! One of my favorite things to do with my three is take them on special “play dates” where they have one-on-one time with mommy. I dedicate three special vacation days to this each year. They love this!
Also, as a mom who works full-time outside the home, I feel the quality time I have with each child is limited. For special one-on-one time and to make them feel extra special, we schedule personal “play dates” at least once a year. I’m not sure who enjoys it more, them or me, but it always provides special memories.
We keep our playdates simple, with the idea that it’s more about the quality time we spend together than the activity, but that could just be wishful thinking on my part. We plan a whole day filled with short activities and they, of course, pick the activities, eateries, and snack shops with some helpful, and sometimes healthful, input from mom.
They each have their own unique things they like to do, so it’s always fun to see what they decide. The decision-making process is half the fun. They go back and forth, then back again, and finally they make up their mind. They generally want to do everything and not miss out on anything fun, so we work on making up our minds and being happy with our decision – it’s good practice for the more important decisions they’ll need to make later on their own.
We have our play dates in the summer and I typically give them some ideas and try to research some fun things going on. I start with a quick search on the internet, but I don’t have a lot of time to dedicate, so we end up doing a lot of the same things they really enjoy. I’m always amazed at how, on this particular day, each one is so agreeable, well-behaved, and happy with everything. They thrive under the one-on-one attention and it brings out the best in each one – amazing! And, a great opportunity for rewarding that good behavior.
Our play dates range from movies, swimming, playing at a special park, feeding the ducks, going to a gaming arena such as Incredible Pizza and, of course, the restaurant and dessert spots of their choice. My special favorite is the later events, since we have lots of time for special talks. It’s amazing how little kids become quite the conversationalists when you have them all to yourself.
We talk about our playdates throughout the year and recall the fun we had, or how the geese scared away all the ducks, ate all the bread, and scared my daughter! Then there are always the two Disney movies that we had to leave halfway through because they were “too scary”. These stories always get a chuckle and stick in their minds as a special memory – there’s nothing better to me!
While it seems impossible at times to imagine how I’ll ever carve an entire day out of my work schedule, I find the thought of spending this special time with them to be irresistible. And, important! I remind myself that every time I do this my relationship with them is strengthened. Their baby and toddler years have already flown by and too soon they’ll be too busy for me! Somehow, I think we’ll be fine – we’ve already established what is truly important.
What are your suggestions for spending one-on-one time with your kids?
Laurie Twitchell is an “engineering” mom of three in Ankeny, IA. She enjoys reading, shopping and spending time with her family.
