On a regular basis, I hear parents say they struggle with
how to spend “quality time” with their kids.
In almost every instance the parents talk about quality time with
entertainment being the focus of the activity.
While a certain amount of entertainment for children and parents is
healthy, parents who focus solely or significantly on entertainment are “missing
out.”
I remember years ago asking my youngest son what he had
learned in Sunday school that day. His
answer was simple yet penetrating, “Time isn’t something we should ‘spend’, it
is something we should invest.’” I
learned a significant lesson that day.
Over the years I looked for ways to invest my time in my kids. One way that worked well for me was wood-working. In the beginning, the crafts were very simple
- crafts, bird houses, ornaments, simple boxes and the like. Eventually, we went on to make a computer
desk with book shelves, glass top tables, and complex projects of the
like. The time invested in the boys was
well worth it. Not only did they learn practical
skills with tools, they could see the end product of their efforts and enjoy
the fruits of their labor for years to come.
But wood-working has life lessons to teach us too. Lessons about sacrifice; a tree must be
sacrificed for my purposes. Lessons
about beauty; it is amazing what rich beauty exists beneath the bark of a tree
and in the right hands can be brought forward for all to enjoy. Much like the life of a human placed in the
hands of God. Lessons about short cuts,
work ethic and commitment; projects taking short cuts typically result in
inferior quality and projects left half-done are of no use to anyone and a
waste of sacrifice. There is so much to
teach, so much to learn, with fun and excitement at every turn.
Perhaps wood-working isn’t your bailiwick, then try
something else! There is a world of arts,
crafts and trades waiting to be explored by you and your kids, photography,
model building, painting, sewing, knitting, cooking, sculpting, music,
gardening, it is all there waiting for you and your child to invest in.
