Engagement Tips

 4. Be Present

A friend of mine is a counselor at Lakewood High School, the school that recently won a Katy Perry concert. I was so excited for their school but as I watched the Good Morning America story, all I saw were camera phones. It seemed like so few of the students were actually enjoying the experience, they were too concerned with capturing it. As parents, we want to capture all of our children's precious moments and doing so has become much easier with digital cameras and smart phones. Then with the ability to share the photos on Facebook, Instagram, online photo sites etc. adds another layer to the process. In the meantime, what are we missing out on?

Recently, I have been trying to pay attention to how much time I spend just being with my children. Not in the car, not with the TV on in background, not while folding laundry, not while I am checking email or Facebook- just being with them. Not as much time as I would have thought or that I would like to. When I am just with them, it is amazing the things that I notice. I hear what they love and what they are struggling with. I can't believe how big they are getting and how much they know. Sometimes, I just observe and sometimes I try to put everything else aside and get in there and play with them.  I know, those are the moments we will all remember, not the ones where I was behind a camera or distracted by menial tasks. What happens when you spend 10 minutes a day, just being with your children- totally present and aware?


3. Create Memory Books

Photos capture our memories and are reminders of those special moments. With the invention of digital photography it becomes easier for our photos to remain on our computers and Facebook pages but there is a lot of value in having meaningful photos kept in a book that your children can hold in their hands. It does not have to be fancy- a few photos printed and put into a small album works just fine! The main point is to have something to look at with your children and reminisce.  However, if you are feeling inspired websites like Shutterfly, Mixbook and Smilebox

are great tools for putting together a collection of memories with some narrative. My kids love to read their memory books like any other picture book so I try to write it like a story.

If you are like me and have dozens of photo projects on your to do list, have never even started a baby book for your second child and getting overwhelmed trying to imagine where to start, don't stress. Just pick some recent time that you spent together as a family- a vacation, a day at the pool, a soccer game. Set aside a specific time and work on putting into a memory book whose effort required fits with the amount of time you have. Work on it until it is done but don't worry about it being perfect. And if you are really proud of what you came up with- share it on our Facebook page!

2. Let your child spray you with a hose...
Do you ever notice how much delight children take in watching adults let loose and be silly? I think most of us get a little nostalgic for our own childhood days filled with play, adventure and fun.

My challenge for you this summer is to: play in the rain, walk barefoot in the mud or have a water balloon fight with your children.  Take the opportunity to forget for just a moment or two about how you look and about the mess you will need to clean up afterwords.



1. Build, Build, Build.

Whether it is a train track, a Lego creation or a fort in your living room, building with your child:

1) Engages their fine motor skills;
2) Uses problem solving skills such as creating and following through on a plan;
3) Strengthens perseverance and ability to handle frustration when there are challenges;
4) Provides an opportunity to work constructively with others and
5) Ends with a final product that can provide hours of entertainment!

How to build a fort!