Don't Be A Boring Dad: Be The Dad Who Takes Them On An Adventure
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Unlike you and me, the children of today live in a world that is ruled by technology from their younger age. They are much happier playing by themselves with tech devices than we, their parents, were at the same age. There is a digital device connected to the Internet in every room of the house: Smartphones, tablets, game consoles, TV, fitness equipment, and easy some kitchen appliances.
In a world where your fridge can order your shopping, it may seem a little difficult for children of the 21st century to still feel excited about simple things in life. But don’t let high-end technology estrange your kids from you. It’s time to remind them, and yourself, that there are still plenty of exciting things around that don’t require an Internet connection to work. Here are a few tips to show your kids that you are a fun dad they can be proud of.
Is Offline Outside?
The latest Pokemon game, you can find out more about it here www.pcworld.com/article/3095714/software-games/new-pokmon-go-maps-show-you-where-to-catch-em-all.html, which has seen teens and young adults of all backgrounds wondering outside with their phone in hand might just be the evidence you need that outside is not a synonym of offline. Yet, in most cases, going outside is the best way to cut the digital umbilical cord that connects your kids to the cyber life. Time to discover the real life around them and leave the phone at the bottom of the bag. It’s sad to say but if you want your children to pay notice and fully engage with you, you will need them to put the phone down.
Kids are not a difficult public but, if you don’t want them to complain about how bored they were, you will need to have something to tell them or show them about the world around them. Remember that just because they have read about it on Wikipedia, it doesn’t mean that they have no curiosity about the world.
The biggest difficulty that parents face when trying to bond with their children is that they are afraid of the phone. Think of the smartphone as a friendship door that your child can open to interact with a network of friends. This is not a fence that keeps you away. It’s their social life and their dreams. Remember the time of private diaries that held of your teenage secrets. This is what the smartphone represents for the kids of today. Consequently, taking your kids outside is the best way to create an environment where you can interrupt the writing of their cyber diary.
Throw A Garden Party
The garden is the first piece of the outside world that is available to you and your kids as soon as you open the door. So let’s start there! The garden is the ideal location that compromises between their needs to keep the door to cyber friendship open and being outside with you.
Make sure to plan exciting food and the drinks that are guaranteed to keep them off their phones. For this, you could throw a delicious barbecue, check this links for ideas www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/bbq-recipes.html, party and keep yummy buns by the grill to wrap your burgers, for examples. Or why not enroll your kids in cooking with you? After all, everybody loves a good barbecue!
But don’t turn the garden party into a giant lunch for the family. It’s not called a garden party at random: It exists to entertain, and that means getting all your best outside games ready. Cornhole games are always a hit, especially now that there are plenty of options to refresh an old game with a bit of clever DIY like displayed here http://letsplaycornhole.com/cornhole-wraps. Don’t limit yourself, there are many other fun outside games that will strengthen your bond and prove themselves entertaining. If you have a big garden, why not start a game of basket or volley? Or maybe hire a bouncy castle for the day? Nothing is stopping you from having fun!
Seeing you have a great time and playing the same game together will help build a stronger bond with your children. Why not end the day with baking a family cake together? I’m sure that you’ll need a sweet energizer after all those games!
Take On New Hobbies
If you are keen to see the flame of admiration burn in the eyes of your kids - and between us, who isn’t?- it is essential to do something that makes you proud, and that excites you. You may be satisfied with your 9-to-5 work but does it excite you in the same way that your first bike or your first lego castle did? Be completely honest: it probably doesn’t. So it’s more than likely that your kids will feel the same about what you normally do every single day. You can’t blame them for that: After all, if you don’t find it thrilling, why should they?
Thankfully the world is full of new, fancy things to discover and learn. You might consider starting a new sport that enables you to relax from your weekly pressure in the middle of nature, such as diving, horse riding, or even climbing. You might be wondering with a nature related activity: Simply because this is a great excuse to take your kids away and be together as you practice. Maybe you can even practice together.
Not a sporty type? Don’t worry, technology might just have the solution to your problems. You will find a revival of the old skateboard of your childhood but with cutting-edge, modern boards that guarantee more sensations than never before! Additionally, riding a board is a great way to bond with your kids and maybe teach them some of your old tricks too! You can find out more about the trends of 2017 here, Everythingfordads.com/dadsblog/awesome-hobbies-to-try-in-2017.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t succeed in becoming a cool dad. Being there for them, loving them and protecting them, is the best you could do for your kids. So don’t be too harsh on yourself!
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