Wisdom Wednesday: Quality Time

Wisdom Wednesday: Quality Time By Shel Silverstein

My father is a golfer–

He lets me be his tee.

He puts the ball upon my nose

And hits it right off me.

He says that I can share the joy

Of every ball he hits.

Oh, ain’t it grand to have a dad

Who spends time with his kids. Shel Silverstein

Last weekend I went out to dinner with the boys. At the table next to us was a father and two elementary school aged children. At first, I was amazed at how the brother and sister sat so quietly at the table with their father. Then as time passed I noticed the father hadn’t put down his phone and hadn’t said a word to either child. His attention went from the TV’s on the wall back to his phone. When their food came still there was no conversation. Being someone who loves to talk with children I wanted to sit with them and ask the little boy what book was he reading and ask the little girl what her favorite subject was in school. Instead in the forty-five minutes they were there the father spoke more words to the waitress than to the children. 

Quality time with my children has always been very important to me. Now, that my kids are older I am very grateful of all the time we have had together. When I look back through the years I don’t remember the material gifts I’ve given my kids. I remember our talks in the car, our conversations after school, baking together for the blog and our family exploring new towns, states and countries. I remember the times I stopped and gave them my full attention. It cost me nothing but time…the greatest gift of all. It’s true what the grandma’s used to tell me when my kids were little. Time goes by really fast! Before you know it they’ll be texting you from college and you’ll be alone in your writing room, typing away, listening to your dog snore and wishing they were down the hall blasting their music.

If you enjoy reading my blog posts check out my debut middle grade novel! Mystic is available on Amazon worldwide. 

MYSTIC 

Amazon Reviews: “An inspiring adventure!”  “An awesome book that pulls you in–a book that needs to continue with more series. So creative and imaginative! Loved it.” DH.