What is the greatest gift we can give our children? Physical traits, tangible gifts, a home full of anything they need? What about the gift of time?
A colleague shared this idea with me and it clicked. My son is a summer baby, and I was sharing how my husband and I are intentionally planning on holding our son back a year in school. My colleague smiled and said, “That’s the best gift you can give.”
Think about it – as soon as our children are in any type of schooling, they don’t stop. They’re receiving an education for several hours each day and then many have afternoon and evening activities. After high school, many kids continue moving forward with schooling, careers, or military. From there, things don’t get any easier with the responsibilities of adulthood.
Even if our kids may not remember it, or fully understand why you’re doing this right now, what can the gift of time do for them?
For my family, it means more time for our son to be at home with us. Our son is also quite small for his age (he didn’t luck out in the gene pool on that one!). Knowing that he’ll be one of the older kids in his class gives us confidence that he’ll be OK despite his small size. He’s also our last child, so we are treasuring every last “first” as he continues to grow.
Giving the gift of time is beneficial when thinking about your entire family, too.
The gift of time for a family could mean making memories on a vacation rather than spending time away from each other. It could mean staying in and having a family movie night over each family member doing their own activity.
The gift of time doesn’t mean you have to shell out hundreds of dollars just so you can do something as a family. Ways to enjoy family time that won’t break the bank includes borrowing a movie at the local library, playing a board game, or taking a walk together.
The point you are making to your family is that you value them, and are choosing to spend your time with them. As author Dr. Gary Oliver said, “Time is a concrete expression of love that people can measure.”
So while kids may remember vacations you spent too much money on, they will also remember the family memories made when you chose to spend time with them. Choosing to give your time to your family is one of the greatest gifts you can give.
