Have you heard about this study that’s offering up some valuable insights into our time-spending habits?
It’s not a new article, but I found some of the information resurfacing on social media and it got me curious. Some of the stats may be shocking, but sometimes that’s exactly the kind of information we need to wake up.
The research shows that the time parents spend with their children peaks in their 30s before significantly decreasing. Once children reach the age of 18, the amount of time spent together dwindles to almost nonexistent, plummeting from 4-5 hours a day to less than an hour. Ugh. This decline is so pronounced that, in some instances, parents only have a few encounters with their children annually. If you don’t live in the same town as your parents or in-laws, think about the last time you saw them. Was it during the holidays? When will you see them again?
While I know this isn’t groundbreaking information, I can’t help fighting back the tears a bit. My oldest child just turned 11 years old this year. That means, statistically speaking, I have about 7 years left with him in the home with us. Things will change once he’s gone. Our family dynamic will never truly be the same. For years I thought I was ready for this, almost excited to welcome the shift with open arms until reality set in.
Once my kids start flying from the coop one by one, our home will never be the same. If that doesn’t sound depressing, I don’t know what does.
Of course, not all circumstances are the same. I’m lucky that my older two kids want to go back to homeschooling next year. Honestly, it’s a ton of work and a lot of stress on the parents to home-educate your kids especially with two little ones under the age of 5 under foot as well, but I am going to welcome them with open arms. I can’t wait for them to come back home because I know the years with them are so incredibly short and fleeting.
Understand, the time that’s gone is completely in the past. The only thing we can do is become more intentional about today. No one is promised tomorrow. So what are you going to do today to create core memories?
One thing I have tried really hard to do is to slow down. Cliché? Perhaps, but it’s helping me stay grounded. I’m reevaluating my current life and trying to determine whether writing a cookbook right now is really what I should be doing. Is this the enemy telling me I’m not good enough or is this God telling me it can wait? My case may be small, as some may look at going back into the workforce full time or maybe making the transition into staying at home full time. All of the “what ifs” are very tricky to decipher.
If there is one thing I know for sure it’s that time doesn’t slow down for anyone. I started thinking about writing a cookbook a year ago and sure, I’ve worked on some recipes and had some photos taken. I’ve done research on self-publishing and getting an agent. But in this entire year, I haven’t really moved the needle much.
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