When my children were small, I spent a lot of one-on-one time with each child. Toby and I went on a burger date and Anton and I had a burger date long bedtime conversations.
But ever since their father and I divorced, it became difficult to carve out one-on-one time since there was no other parent at home to turn off to. We talked about all-or-nothing joint custody, but this also affects one-on-one cases. Depending on the day, I either have both boys or I don’t have any boys.
But lately, I’ve started finding ways to spend time alone with them, and I’ve realized how much I’ve missed it. When Anton went to summer camp, Toby and I went on a little road trip through Vermont and Massachusetts. We visited a friend’s family, listened to his playlist in the car (lots of Mamma Mia and One Direction), and then watched Friends in the evening. I loved being able to follow his lead and give him uninterrupted attention.
And when Toby goes to a sports game (go Yankees!), Anton and I have a little adventure. Things like driving to Red Hook for key lime pie or walking around your neighborhood and trying to guess how many dogs (or baseball caps or babies) there are. Let’s take a look before we get home. Sometimes he asks me big questions about politics or religion. He was always a deep thinker. Others may prefer to “just talk.”
what about you? Do you spend one-on-one time with the children in your life? Is there a ritual that you enjoy? I would love to hear it!
PS Here’s what Don Draper taught me about parenting, his experiences with three transgender children, and one thing that surprised me about parenting.
Source: Cup of Jo – cupofjo.com
