Today, the first of the three-part series about stopping the Holiday Insanity by using the three best gifts you can ever give your children, we dive into: Time.

In each of the Just You and Me December episodes – today’s, December 15, and December 29 – we talk about one of these three gifts.

Today’s is time!

For the show notes to this episode, go to the We Turned Out Okay website by clicking this link.

Always, but especially during the busiest times of year (such as the current Holiday Insanity), time for parents of young children is fleeting. And yet, the best yet gift that we can give to them is our time; here are some ways to incorporate time-savers and hacks into your busy parenting life!
1) remember that kids spell time T-I-M-E… as often as you can, try to have a chunk of time with a planned, open-ended something to play with along with your child; play dough, Lego, blank paper and markers or colored pencils all are great for connecting with your child, without a ton of preparation or in-activity thought on your part
2) make the time multifunctional; can she bang pots and pans together on the floor while you make and freeze appetizers or desserts for a family party? Can he play with paper, stickers, envelopes while you stuff and address holiday cards? Can they help you roll out sugar cookie dough? Even if it’s sorting the year-and filing together… It doesn’t matter what it is; it matters that it happens
I do recognize that it’s not easy. Especially during holiday insanity, but at other times of the year too! I’ve “eaten” enough play dough hamburgers in my time to fill a fairly large wastepaper basket, and I’ll say this: at the time, I was ready to gag at the thought of just one more. But now that it’s been five or six years since my boys lost interest in play dough, I’m thankful for every one of those hamburgers, shaped by little fingers and given with love.
As the saying goes, “the days are long, but the years are short.”
Make the most of the time you’ve got with your littles – and give them as much of your time as you possibly can.
Important Links from This Episode
Today, these ideas came up… For more information on each of them, here are the links you’ll need:

My interview with Emily Flake, author of Mama Tried: Dispatches from the Seamy Underbelly of Modern Parenting

Jessica Lahey’s page, where you can read more about her amazing book, The Gift of Failure, and also her article from a few years ago in The Atlantic Monthly

For links to my free gift for you, The 9 1/2 Key Resources for Old-School Parents and Parent Coaching, head to my homepage.

Thanks again for listening! If you liked what you heard today, and think other parents you know would like it too, copying the link and pasting it into your favorite social media outlet is much appreciated! It’s the modern day word-of-mouth, the BEST method for finding new listeners – because if you loved it, you know they will too

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