Parents undoubtedly have a very special place in their kids’ lives, but we cannot deny the fact that their influence in their youngsters lives decreases with time. If your kids are still young, they may fully dependent on you at the moment, but you need to realize that your involvement and influence in their lives will automatically decrease as they grow older, especially when they enter their teens. This is why child experts recommend parents to spend as much time as possible with kids while the opportunity is still there. The purpose is not just to develop a strong bonding with youngsters, but also to become an active part of their lives so that they know that you were there for them when they needed your love and attention. This also gives you an opportunity to foster good habits among them. If you are a new parent or have been parenting for a few years, then all you need to do is making these five parental habits a part of your life. You may not realize the benefits of these habits right now, but a few years later, you’d be glad that you decided to adopt them.

Spend Quality Time with Kids

Almost all parents spend time with kids, but only a few of them spend quality time. Being a parent, it is important for you to be aware of the difference between the two. Spending time means sitting with kids for hours watching television, surfing the internet, doing stuff on the smartphone, etc., but spending quality time means having a lively and thoughtful conversation with them. You must make it a habit to spend an hour, or at least a few minutes with kids daily.

Find a Common Hobby

Finding a common hobby with kids is a good way of strengthening your bond with them. There are a lot of things you can do with them like running, gardening, book reading, etc. Sharing a hobby not only gives you an opportunity to spend more time with them, but is also something that defines your relationship.

Stay Up-to-Date with Technology

Staying in touch with technology serve two purposes. Firstly, it allows you to help your kids in getting to know everything they should know about the latest technology and its use. Secondly, it makes it easier for you to keep an eye on them for safety purposes after you’ve granted them digital privileges. Kids who realize that their parents are tech-savvy automatically use technology responsibly.

Have Dinner Together

Most kids leave for school early in the morning, whereas if you’re working, then you probably arrive home well after lunch time. This only leaves one meal that you and your kids can have together, i.e. dinner. Make it a family tradition to have dinner together right from an early age so kids know that you are waiting for them to have dinner even after they become busy in their lives. It is not about sharing a meal, but rather spending a valuable time with each other.

Limit Smartphone Usage

Most parents these days complain about teens using smartphones while driving or eating. Unfortunately, we can’t blame teens for this as they are simply doing what they had seen their entire childhood. If you do not want your teens to use smartphones while driving or at the table, then you should also limit its use right away.