I wrote about the importance of making time for your family; it’s important to have meals together and to converse with your children to create the connections with them.
However, when travelling plays a major part of your work, making one-on-one time connecting with your children is more important than ever.
When you are on the road, you have less opportunity to connect through everyday interactions, such as chatting, dropping them to schools, having dinner together or just going grocery shopping with your kids. Even if you call home, the conversation is going to be general and short like:
“How’s your day been?”
“How’s school?”
“Have your done your work?”
“What did you do today?”
“What are your plans for today?”
You don’t really have the chance to really get to the core of any issues your children may be facing when on the phone. However, you can create a safe space for your child to share their thoughts and deepest feelings with you, and with the advancement of technology, distance should not be an issue.
Some suggestions on how to create one-on-one time with your child when traveling:
- creating one on one time is making a time with your child and communicating with them when you’ve finished your work
- listen with empathy – really listen to what your child has to say and empathise with how he or she is feeling
- offer advice only when asked for by your child
- avoid being judgmental about your child’s decisions/actions
- even when you do not have time to communicate by phone, write them a short note via e-mail
- send photos or quotes that relate to how your child is feeling or what they are going through.
When you are traveling, you often believe that you are unable to connect with your kids as you are not physically present. I can assure you that you CAN still create connections with your children irrespective of where you are.
Connecting with your child is so much more than just being physically present, it is about how you relate to your child, how much your hold your child in your thoughts, and the energy that both of you share. When communicating by phone, connecting is through the tone of your voice and how much you empathise about what your child is going through and what he or she feels.
All the above will create the bond between you and your child, irrespective of where you are. Remember – distance is really not an issue – you child only needs to know you care, and that you are there for them!
To a child, LOVE is spelt TIME!
I would love to hear your thoughts and have a connected day with your family.
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