Parenting comes with a whole world of questions. Often times it includes a little doubt and even a little regret mixed in with guilt. Your time is often one of the things that brings up questions, doubt, regret, and guilt. With all of the things that put pressure on parents today (jobs, home, and other responsibilities) there are a lot of parents who want to know that spending quality time is more important then spending quantity time (a lot of time). Top it all off with a move for stay at home parents and a lot of people saying this is the best option, and it is no wonder many people need to know what is best.

There are few parents who actually have a lot of time to spend with their children. Even those that are stay at home parents often have their schedules loaded and a lot of things to do. However, some do have a lot of time to spend with their kids. There are some out there who spend many hours with their children and have a lot to say about the fact that they think everyone else should as well. This doesn't mean a whole lot. It doesn't mean that their kids will grow up with good values. It doesn't mean they will be exceptional kids who have a lot to offer others. It doesn't mean that they are well balanced, well learned, or anything else in the well category. These kids are just blessed with their parents time. It doesn't even mean that they know they are loved! While we all wish we could have more time...it doesn't mean that our kids would be better kids because of it.

Often times the real challenge is to find time and make that time really worth it. This is the best option we have. After all, we could spend 10 hours a day with our kids in front of the TV and not know them and have them not know us. It is much better to work toward a balance of quality time. Each age group allows us to do different quality activities with our children. We should work hard to take advantage of the time that we do have with them.

Because most of us are short on time and have a hard time making sure that everything gets done it is important to schedule some quality activities to do with our families. These activities can change a bit as our children grow, but should include a wide range of things to do throughout the year.

• Family Dinner- While it would be wonderful if we could all sit down and enjoy a family dinner every night of the week and research shows that this helps kids out, the truth is that activities of all sorts make this hard to do. So, schedule family dinners as often as your family's schedule will allow.
  
• Special Holidays- Make your holidays special with lots of tradition and family time. It might only be a few times a year, but it can make a great time to have quality family time.
  
• Get out of the house together- Make family trips (even if they are just across town). You can go to the park with your little ones, visit a museum with older children, go for a hike, or other wise find small trips that you can take every now and again.
  
• Play Games- Family game night doesn't happen in many households anymore, but it can be fun. Get a few new games and try them out and see what happens. You could find that everyone wants to make time for family game night!
  
• Read- While reading with your teenager might not be an option anymore, reading with your young children still is. You can pick age appropriate books and read together. Not only does this make it more likely that your youngster will become a reader it can lead to memories forever.
  
• Talking- Most of society has gotten away from real talking. We greet each other expecting on of several acceptable replies. "Hi! How are you?" can easily be followed by, "Fine." But if someone tells the truth we are shocked, "I am doing horrible! I feel like crap, have way too much to do, and really just want to crawl into bed." actually shocks people and isn't considered acceptable. We can get to the point where that's how we handle discussions with our families as well. Talking is good and we should make it a habit to really talk to each other whenever we can.
  

If we make the time we spend with our kids true quality time then we can inspire them, raise them right, and end up with well balanced children. It doesn't take a ton of time, but it does take some and it takes working harder then if you had all the time in the world. Quality will always be better then quantity. Strive to make each day count and you will be working toward a great thing. Gone is the day of the family farm where families spent most if not all of their time together, working side by side, and teaching each other what they knew. Now we have outside jobs, school, hobbies, and a load of responsibility that isn't at home. We need to take the time we do have and make the best of it!