2 min readConnect Again
Quality time with the kids doesn't mean a conversation at a red light on the way to soccer practice. Dads can do things that "reinforce the important sense of 'we-ness' among family members," says Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan, an assistant professor of family science at Ohio State University. Family bonding will "foster healthy social development in children." All you need to do is . . .Eat.
A key to family unity is "finding time to eat together," says William Doherty, Ph.D., a professor of family social science at the University of Minnesota. One option: Call ahead so a pizza's ready when you arrive. "You can eat as quickly as you could at home," he says. Play.
Find a seldom-used table and set up a board game. Then play it, slow-motion-style. "Leave the game out somewhere and together chip away at it little by little, about 10 minutes a day," says Doherty. The impromptu gatherings are fun. Good choices: chess, Monopoly, or a 3-D puzzle. Walk.
"If your children go to school close to your home, walk home together once in a while," says Doherty. Or drive them. "The most important thing is to talk." You can then return to work knowing you're a good pop.Isolate
A little time alone with one child can do as much good as a day with the entire family, experts say. For preteens, "a regular bedtime story or talk is very high-quality time," says Doherty. When alone with one child, speak well of his mom and siblings and "refer to the family as a unit by using words like 'we' and 'our,' " says Schoppe-Sullivan. You'll reap the rewards of family time without the commotion.
