But, are the "fleeting moments" you spend with your children really the best they can be? Dr. Harley Rotbart is a nationally-acclaimed pediatric specialist from Children's Hospital and author of the book "No Regrets Parenting." The book says there are three ways to make the most of the time we have with our kids.
"It's getting harder and harder. We're now in an economy where there are 'four-job' families where both parents are working two jobs. There isn't more time to set aside in the day. There aren't more hours to set aside. But we spend an enormous amount of time during the day that we could be with our kids in more meaningful ways and we miss those opportunities," Children's Hospital Pediatric Specialist Dr. Harley Rotbart said.
Rotbart has some ideas on how to make those little moments more memorable with your kids, especially things we are already doing, like fixing the sink.
"You should never change the filter in the furnace or change the oil in the car or do yard work without [helping out]. That is the new 'family time,' Rotbart said.
You should also have fun with our kids by "double dipping."
"You need time for yourself too. Double dipping says you'd love to read, you'd love to swim laps, you'd love to hike. And, there are things that your kids would enjoy doing without you. A lot of those overlap. Go to the pool at the same time. Let them play in the pool with their noodles while you swim laps." Rotbart said.
Dinner time is also an important time for families and an opportunity for family members to spend quality time together.
"You should have these at least once a week. This is when everyone is involved in preparing that dinner, in sharing that dinner and then cleaning up that dinner. So, it's one night a week that the entire dinner process is shared by the family," Rotbart said.
No Regrets Parenting is the name of the book. It can be found and ordered on Amazon.com.
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