Firstly, let’s talk about that word “connect”.
Humans are made to connect, that’s just a fact. We love making connections and establishing bonds with people and things around us. Whether that be with nature, animals, music, sports, clothes etc… the fact is we want to connect when something inspires us or makes us feel good.
However, we currently find ourselves in a day and age where there is so much to connect to, that we have over-connected. We keep plugging things in our lives, and soon we start to look like the mess behind our tv unit. You know what we’re talking about!
We keep plugging in, adding adaptors as we need, and increasing the load until we either break or burn out.
Funny thing about all this connecting, is that we forget to unplug the things we don’t need or use anymore. We stopped using the DVD player months ago, but yet it’s still plugged in sucking our energy. We also don’t always check which connections are not eco-friendly (good for us), and those connections pull more and more energy from us, leaving us more drained.
Now imagine being a child in this world. Parents are already over-connected, and me as the child – well, I have so many things I can plug into. But I have no idea what is good for me, or what I need. I just know I need to connect and it’s an overwhelming emotional feeling. Even bad connections feel good, because they somehow satisfy that need to connect. They fill a void!
So, what do we do? How do we reset? How do we connect with only what we need, and with what is good for us?
Well, we have to start by disconnecting. Unplugging everything and re-evaluating what it is we REALLY need and how much we really should be connecting too.
For us at Family Values, family is one of the most important connections to start with. And with our children being the most vulnerable, and needing our leadership, that is the one we will focus on here. If you watched our Special Time challenge, you will know that we challenged parents to set aside 10 minutes per day to 100% dedicate to their child/ren. Yip, you heard right. Only 10minutes per day!
This does not mean that for the rest of the day you don’t talk to your children. But, it’s more about that this is dedicated time where your child gets to choose what they want to do with you, and you disconnect from everything else and be 100% focused on your child.
This “special time” builds trust and confidence, and it shows your child that you are willing to put them first. It’s about making the time to connect to what’s most important. You’ll be surprised at how these 10 minutes per day can turn your family dynamic right around, and how soon the results start to show.
So, if you have not yet, start the challenge and get ready to connect!
