Leyla Williams of Virginia, USA, understands that children need one-on-one interaction just as much as adults, so she and her husband make it a priority to schedule time with them.
"My husband and I came up with our 'Mommy and Me' or 'Daddy and Me' dates with our five children," Leyla says. "We would take them out—one at a time—for an evening or afternoon together. Sometimes it was dinner, sometimes bowling, sometimes just an ice cream cone or playing at the playground. But it was always a chance to stay close to them as they grew and to keep lines of communication open.
"As our children got older, the conversations we had on these 'dates' would turn to problems they were having with school, friends, siblings, and—yes—even their parents! Sometimes the conversations went deeper into struggles with certain commandments or their testimonies. Because we started when they were young, our teenage children were more comfortable broaching subjects that others their age might have found very difficult to discuss with a parent.
"Now that our older children are blazing through their teenage years, and all the activities that entails, we use it as a time to reconnect and reestablish those close relationships. Our kids look forward to it and like to plan their own activities. And with everyone headed in all different directions, I can look forward to those golden moments of having my children's undivided attention for at least an hour or so."