The Gift of TIME

I was reminded this weekend that kids spell LOVE………TIME!!! Spending time with children is one of the very best gifts you can give. I had the privilege of babysitting my 3 grand daughters this weekend. They love to talk about their lives and engage in conversation. They have so much to share and often times are competitive as we are talking and interacting (all because they have SO MUCH TO TELL!) They love to be silly! The best thing I have observed as they are growing up is that my time is NEVER wasted on them. They value the time I spend with them. They love the attention and they love having me be a part of their lives.

I make it a priority to listen attentively, ask open ended questions and try to challenge them to work out their differences rather than solve their problems for them. I see them practicing the things we talk about regarding kindness and sharing and showing true love to others by serving and caring. Time is one of my most precious commodities and I will never pass up an opportunity to be an influencer in the lives of my grand children if I am invited to spend time with them.

Children are like little sponges. They listen and usually try to obey..(even when they act like they haven’t heard you when you ask them to stop playing and get ready for school or bed). I try to find out their newest passions and always ask what they are learning in school or in their friendships, clubs or at church. When I invest time intentionally listening to them with out judgment or correction, they are eager to tell me what they are thinking and what they are learning. There is a time for correction and discipline but it must be done with love and with a lot of grace. If I have expectations that are unspoken and then am disappointed when they are not fulfilled, I am the one that needs to reevaluate. I try to be very clear about my expectations for each one of them and try to keep those expectations age appropriate. I am generous to reward them with special activities or treats when they choose wisely and obey.

I love having special activities to do with the grand kids. This weekend one of the special traditions we do is decorate a Gingerbread House. In the olden days, with my own daughters, we made the dough from scratch, cut out the house pieces, baked them and assembled them the day before we decorated. This would ensure fewer houses that fell apart. Now you can buy preassembled houses that you just decorate. For a 7, almost 6 and 4 year old, the preassembled house was perfect!!!

Each child had their own container of decorations and we divided up the house so they each had an area to work in. Organization is key. They girls had a BLAST and everyone seemed to enjoy creating their own designs with many extra decorations around the house. We had snowboarding sour patch kids and a skating rink and a fishing pond to name a few. My precious and very creative granddaughters had a wonderful time and so did I!!!!!

Here are a few other photos from our exciting weekend. Poppa got to get in on the action on Saturday and Sunday!!! Do not undervalue the gift of TIME this holiday season!!! Make some lasting memories.