One thing I do right as a Dad…that you can do too.
I’m trying to be a great Dad, but it is a learning process for me every day. Some things come instinctively from having a great Dad myself (a HUGE blessing in my life). Other things aren’t so natural.
I think the best thing we have done is create meaningful one-on-one time with the kids. I work a lot of evenings with meetings and I like to get started early in the mornings so we had to be creative. For us, we take advantage of Wednesday mornings. Here’s how it practically works for us:
-Our kids school starts 1/2 hour later on Wednesdays. Not totally sure why, but we use it!
-I work Wednesdays straight through the evening until late, so I don’t go in until 9am those days.
-We rotate weekly the pair that gets to go out for breakfast – one adult/one child. Today was me and Jackson.
-That adult/child pair goes to breakfast from 7:30-8:45am – Kids choose the restaurant.
-The other adult/child pair stays home with kids from the neighborhood who get on the bus with our kids.
-Jenny works one Wednesday a month so we just skip that one. (You can’t get to hung up on making a system work perfectly.)
With me, Jackson usually goes for a cinnamon roll at Panera. Today we talked about baptism and his LifeBuilding Class at church and then drew some designs for how to paint his pinewood derby car (pictured). This is priceless to me.
Abby likes McDonalds where she and I split the “Big Breakfast with Hotcakes” and sit at the same table she picks out. Every. Single. Time. She loves watching the “M” on the butter melt on her biscuit and making me eat the eggs “because they are gross”.
These goofy memories become the stories we tell. The only reason I share it is that I hope you’ll find your own way to do it too. Figure it out. Create the time and space. We get a lot wrong as parents, but we are knocking this out of the park!
.Real.Greg.Lee. 
Awesome idea! With my oldest daughter (35 now!) I had Dad and daughter date night once a month or so until she was in her 20’s!
So awesome Greg & Jenny! I always believed in “making memories” ..that is what we called it eons ago when our 3 boys were small and growing up! They are now 47, 42 and 41! We purposely found ways to have “alone time” with them all (and we both worked)….it means so much to them and your reward will be that, God willing, they will parent as you did and they will carry on the importance of “family time/making memories”. I see my sons doing the same thing with their children and it is such a blessing!!!
I love it Martha. Thanks!
Life is good. When you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time~~~