Matthew and I have started walking together on Monday and Wednesday afternoons. Nathan is at rugby, so he can't join us for that hour. We walk and we talk. Of course we have chats every day, but these moments are special. Every single time we wander around, I am astounded at how mature our young man has become, not to talk about his intelligence and his knowledge of the world in which we live. (Besides Mondays and Wednesdays I make a point of spending time each day just to catch up.)We talk about all kinds of things; friendship, bugs, history, politics, ethics, computers, games, software, dogs, plants, food, love...
We laugh.
I have one rule. I follow his lead. I listen more than what I share my opinion.
I pity people who don't have conversations with their children. They miss out on so much. And their children miss out on so much too.
Conversations while simultaneously having dinner and watching TV don't count. There are too many distractions.
If you are a parent and constantly wondering where you will find time to meet all the deadlines, make food, catch up on a soapie, take my advice: Press the Pause button and go for a walk with your child. The other stuff may be urgent, but this is important.
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