One-Way Relationships

I'm mulling some things over in my head right now, so please forgive my brain dump. Relationships. Usually they go two ways. Each party has to give a little. But relationships with children are different. If we want to have a good relationship with our kids, we have to do all the giving for quite a while before we can reasonably expect to "get anything back." ... And even then, what we get back isn't what another adult would give us. My sons won't quietly sit with me doing something I enjoy the same way my husband might. Instead, what I "get back" are smiles, giggles, witnessing them grow and learn, sweet snuggles, and building the foundation of our relationship. I won't force my boys to spend time with me, nor will I force them to spend time with anyone. I don't want them to resent time with me. I want our time together to be voluntary, and our relationships to be genuine. I want a good relationship with them, so I choose to put in the effort to do things they enjoy with them. Yes, this means that for a while I will spend a lot of time doing things that wouldn't necessarily be my first choice. But I'm finding I have more fun than I expected, because the boys are happy, which makes me happy.See More