It’s been interesting, over the past few months I have been asked multiple times about my hobbies. At the same time, I have been in settings where I’ve been able to meet lots of new people and learn about their lives, how their lives are structures and how they are able to manage it all. I love learning from other people!
In the meantime, one of the things that I really started thinking about is, can parents really have hobbies?
I think the answer is Yes and No.
Yes, parents MUST lead balanced lives. As as a parent, I have come to understand how much our children observe what we do. They are sponges! They soak up everything and are extremely impressionable. It is amazing what simple behaviors we dismiss or minimize, becomes long-lasting constructs for them. Long days are the gone, do as I say and not as I do. It is a reality that we are in the “See it, do it” generation.
Parents must have social lives so that children are able to see that modeled in a healthy way. Parents must prioritize their health. Parents must find room to laugh. After all, laughter is medicine. Parents must have healthy friendships. Parents must maintain healthy marriages. All of this matters!
While at the same time, while children are growing, I believe the most important thing that they need is our time! Among investing in hobbies that involve dancing, running marathons, date nights, cooking classes, sporting events, networking events, and travel, it must absolutely be a non-negotiable that one of our hobbies as parents be our children.
Picture that – investing time in our children that builds the relationship, creates memories, and inherently provides them with a picture of what healthy fun looks like.
Honestly, I see too many parents who are working so hard to provide “stuff” for their children that they never spend quality time with them. And based on my experience and exposure, children spell love T.I.M.E.!
So, no – if you are limited on time and are trying to maximize the YOLO theme in your life or feel like you’re not ‘fun’ enough with your personal hobby list, as a parent, delay your own personal gratification and pour your hobby time into your children.
The impact that you’ll be making into the next generation and your own legacy gets magnified and there’s a price that becomes unmatched.
Let’s start a revolution! Let’s join millions of other parents in listing our children as one of our hobbies. Our children will appreciate it and our world will too! I’ve got to go now…my wife and kids are waiting on me to play monopoly.