This summer my husband and I took a leap and pulled our kids out of daycare & camp for the month of August and spent the entire month together at our cottage. We figured why not do it while they are still young enough not to fight us on it.

We didn't know what to expect.

We didn’t know if we would last the entire month.

We didn’t know if the kids would be busy enough to keep them happy.

We didn’t know if the kids would be bored without other kids to play with all day every day.

We certainly didn’t anticipate it being as successful as it was!

Most people thought we were crazy for doing this because a month is a long time to keep your kids entertained and busy without going nutso. Many people questioned what the heck we were going to do with our kids for an entire month?!?

Well here we are! Survivors! We managed to slow down time and capture the most quality moments with our 2 children that we will never get back. We managed to shift away from work mode, and put that energy into time with our kids and each other. We both stopped moving and thinking so fast and adapted to our children’s paces. These were all choices we made. Choices that I’m forever grateful for. These are choices that I will continue to make on the days that I am home with my kids.

Why?

Because throughout the month of August…

My kids were happy. My kids were calm. My kids were relaxed. My kids were playful. My kids were compliant. My kids were kind. My kids slept well. My kids were healthy.

What more can a parent ask for?!?!?

…so what was so different in August from every other month of the year? no-doubt, there was a shift in quality, when we talk about our interactions with our children. For the most part, they had our undivided attention. We engaged in so many activities with them on a daily basis without the burden of our phones in our pockets or hands. We didn’t allow ourselves to get distracted by nonsense stuff that could wait until a later time. This was a true win-win situation for all of us.

If we look at this month away as a little social experiment then our results indicate that WE HAVE A HUGE PARENTING EPIDEMIC on our hands…. so huge that we don’t even realize it in the moment. I’ll preface this with the fact that the way you spend time with your child is directly related to your child’s behaviour. To keep it simple, if you keep your child’s attention bucket full then you will have a very happy child on your hands. If your child isn’t getting enough of your undivided attention on a consistent basis, then you will find yourself dealing with more defiant child.

I ask you this….

Do you spend time glancing at your emails when you are with your child?

Do you scroll through your social media platforms while your child plays at your side?

Do you multitask at home on your computer, while your child is hanging out watching tv in the same room?

If you answered yes to any of the above then please put down your cell phones and computers until your child is asleep. Your child needs your undivided attention.

Stop multitasking, stop checking your emails, and stop glancing at social media when you think they don't realize. They absorb everything about your non-verbal communication and behaviour.

I’m guilty here and didn’t realize the extent of it until August when I decided to shift gears during my children’s waking hours.

I challenge you to be more present with your child. 
I challenge you to be more emotionally available for your child. 
I challenge you to step outside of your comfort zone and feel silly when you play with your child.

Accept my challenge and I can guarantee you a very happy, relaxed and well behaved child.

Are you in?

-cori

p.s. if you accepted the challenge then I want to hear from you, let me know how it goes.

p.s.s. If you need strategies to help curb your own behaviour to make this happen then I want you to connect with me asap by booking in a free 30-minute consult right here! I’ll be posting lots of strategies around this in Behave it or NOT!