Investing in Our Children

By Ty Salvant

A few years ago, I read one downside to life in a large family was a lack of individual attention from parents. I could relate!

Even as homeschoolers who spent a lot of time together, I couldn’t recall spending time with each child separately on a regular basis.

After discussing the pros and cons of the concept, Derrick and I started having intentional one-on-one time with our children. Once a week, each child selected one parent to spend about two hours alone with on a budget of $10. Those were the only parameters put on the outing.

For us, it was important to set a budget, so our desire to create special moments with each child wouldn’t financially interfere with the needs of the family; after all, it was an extra $50 we were adding to the budget each month.

Likewise, the length of time could not create a burden on the rest of the family. It is the decision of each child on which parent to pick, whether to spend the money or save it for a future event and where to go.

Over the years, we have experienced everything from fast food outings or movies to visiting the library or eating an ice cream cone on the lakefront.

That time has also been used for practical needs such as driving practice or shopping. Each child selects an activity, and we do our best to honor their request.

Sometimes the kids want to use that time to talk about an important topic, learn about our childhood or just enjoy the silence.

During busy seasons of life, when we don’t get around to prioritizing that time, the kids ask for it. They enjoy our investment in them us as much as we do.

Having shared that, we haven’t had a one-on-one since the birth of our last child in December. This post prompted us to resurrect that routine – two down, three to go. We’ll add Synclair to the mix in a few years. 😉

For those with multiple children, how do you intentionally invest in your individual relationship with each child?