Time

There’s a fantastic little quote from the film Hook that goes like this:

“We have a few special years with our children, when they’re the ones who want us around. After that, you’re going to be running after them for a bit of attention.”

And it leaves me wondering... Are all those phone calls really necessary? Is our favourite TV programme really that important? Does a few minutes longer on the computer really mean that much to us?

Children might leave home at 18. Those first few years are full of sleepless nights, crying babies and a lot of attempted discipline. The next few years involve a lot of different responses to the question, “But why?” Then the teenage years hit where many parents struggle to cope and find their kids ‘rebelling’ against their good ol’ standards.

And then they’re gone.

Maybe there’s a younger child who’s still at home: someone to fill the void; someone to dote upon; someone to bring up better because we’ll have had practise with the first.

But it’s not about us. It’s about them.

It’s a well-known fact that young people are influenced by who they hang out with. If parents don’t take the time to be with their children, is it any wonder when they don’t turn out ‘as expected’? It’s not just about being in the same house. It’s the banter. The silliness. The deep chats. The crazy games. The days out. The emotional times. The fun times. It saddens me to think that there are parents with children who don’t enjoy spending time with them.

Children are so forgiving, but we can be blind to those little snippets where they ask us to be with them, “Hey, come look at this!” and, “Look what I can do!” They deserve a bigger hope, a better future.