It seems there's always training, correction and discipline to do with little ones underfoot.  And so we must intentionally take the time to tie binds of joy and fellowship with them.  I recently quoted this saying, but I'll do it again here...

While instruction, correction, and discipline are a crucial part of how we care for them... they hunger for the touches, the laughter over a shared pizza pie, finger painting under Mama's twinkling eye, cuddling during movies, bike rides then waving down the ice cream truck together.  Key word... together.

This is another reason why dating our children is paramount.  Ties are bound between a child and their parent when fun and tenderness is shared. Even more than the memories that are made, is the magical, unseen thing that occurs without thought... a connectedness.  

Author Robert Wolgemuth talks of this in his sweet and inspiring book, "The Most Important Place on Earth."  Not only is tying binds important with our children, when trust has been broken with harsh words or other parenting mishaps, retying binds is crucial.  I imagine this to be especially true in their adolescent years when hormones and sophomoric attitudes color their lives and our homes.  But it starts now... when they are still so small.

Take time now in the simpler days, as well as the days that follow family turmoil to tie and retie the strings of fellowship that can come undone by self-centeredness, anger, business, or pride.

Dating is a wonderful way to tie binds with our children

I know that finding the time, energy and finances to to go on "dates" can be very difficult but think outside of the box to accomplish this sweet goal.  Recently I volunteered to be one of the parent chaperone's on my five year old's field trip to the pumpkin patch.   One day when I had only my youngest with me, we flew a kite together then made two cups of cocoa.  Yet another afternoon I took my littlest boyfriend to an outdoor mall for a ride on the carousel and a brown-bag picnic lunch by the fountain.  Cheap date!  Maybe so, but there are riches we are investing in these sweet times together.  Far more costly than diamonds or pearls is the gift of our time, creativity, smiles, laughter, nearness, and touch.

Make a date today!

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