In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed a law that established the fourth Sunday in July as Parents' Day. This day is designed for "recognizing, uplifting and supporting the role of parents in the rearing of children."
Today, become an involved parent. Be the parent you always wanted to be. Below are four ways you can celebrate Parents' Day and be that supporting role in your children's life.
Spend time with your children
Most children just want to spend time with their parents. They want attention from their parents and to feel loved. Spend the day with your children. Let them choose the activities they want to do and enjoy them with a smile on your face. If you have more than one child, let your children take turns choosing their favorite activity and make sure you participate in each one.
The more attention and focus you give each child, the more comfortable they will be with you. They will also be more willing and eager to discuss the events in their life with you. You can greatly improve your relationship with your children by spending just a few hours of your time and by giving them your undivided attention.
Have one-on-one interviews
Sit down with each of your children individually and discuss their life. Talk about their goals, their dreams, their challenges and more. Get to know your children and what they face each day. Focus on your children and don't let anything distract you from building a strong relationship. Don't take your cell phone, go someplace where nobody can bother you and don't continually look at your watch. If you give your full attention to your children, you will be amazed at how much you can learn from them.
Make commitments
Think about your weaknesses as a parent and strive to turn them into strengths. If you create a plan to improve your parenting, then Parents' Day is a success. Find three of your parenting weaknesses and create a plan to improve them. If you don't make a full commitment to improve your parenting, it will be harder to accomplish your goal. But remember, improving yourself takes time. It isn't something that can be changed overnight. Don't become discouraged if you mess up and your weaknesses show. Just recommit yourself and start over once again.
Keep your cool
There are days when constant fighting can send us over the top. We become overwhelmed, frustrated and don't think we can handle it anymore. If and when that happens, keep your cool. If you need to take a break from your children, that is OK. Leave your children with your spouse and go for a drive, go to the gym or out for a walk. Spend some time to yourself. One of the worst things you can do as a parent is lose your temper and say or do something that you will regret. Learn to control your emotions. It will take some time, but it can be done.
Parents' Day does not have to be a large ordeal. Instead, it can be a day to improve your relationship with your children and improve your parenting. And if you make even one tiny step of progress, Parents' Day has been a large success.
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