How do you spend quality time with your kids?

2015-07-11T23:40:32-04:00

This is the "Fort" I made out of PVC pipe framing for my youngest son...complete with a flag pole flying the U.S. Flag.

My wife is making canvas panels that will be affixed to the walls. A sheet of vinyl will be affixed for a roof.

I wanted to have some Engineers come in to dig a trench then place the "hootch" down in the trench a few feet and fortify the walls with sandbags, but my wife told me, "No Lieutenant!"

Q: How do you spend quality time with you kids in order to keep balanced between your professional life and family life?

Response by PO2 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 11 at 2015 11:47 PM

2015-07-11T23:47:06-04:00

being a new father my little girl is still only 8 months old but right now I spent time with her on the floor lol. crawling around with her. Though I can not wait until she grows up a little more so I can do more things with her

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 12 at 2015 12:04 AM

2015-07-12T00:04:09-04:00

Doing it right now. Just the kids and me on a 1500 mile road trip to see their grandpa in Maryland. Finding lots of fun things to do along the way.

Having lost so much time with them from deployments, I am very aware that I only have so long to enjoy them while they are still little and fun.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Jul 12 at 2015 12:29 AM

2015-07-12T00:29:01-04:00

I loved taking mine to the pier and go crab fishing. It was like National Geographic some days. Sharks, baby seals, sun spots, and some things that required research. The problem with crab fishing red rock crabs is that your limit is 6 a day and that only makes about 1/2 cup of good meat. My youngest scarfed it down in a couple seconds, but the hunt is always the best part.

Response by PO3 Shayna Stevens made Jul 12 at 2015 12:45 AM

2015-07-12T00:45:21-04:00

To keep balance between my personal life and family life, I let the kids do what they want and then make them go to bed at 8-9 and then have my personal life. ;-) haha

It's actually not as simple as that, I really struggle. I don't feel like a mom, I feel like a chick that has two little pets I can't give up or give up ON and I'm eternally bound to dedicating my life to making sure they do not screw up or get tormented by this new pathetic world we live in. I only know tough love in parenting so unfortunately that's all I know to GIVE as well. And it's a sad painful struggle because they are only (just turned) 3 and 6. So I KNOW I'm in for the most painful and hard time of my lifetime.

Some advice for me as a mother of two beautiful, sweet, innocent, well mannered boys... wpuld be great. (And remember, all I know is tough love, and I have tried literally everything to get them to listen and not be insane day after day.)

Response by SSG Laureano Pabon made Jul 12 at 2015 12:51 AM

2015-07-12T00:51:14-04:00

Quality time has been an on going thing between me and my son.
We go to the park together, we go swimming together, he has his own laptop, but when it goes down he is the only one who can use it. He is the only one who knows my password to both cell phone and laptop, when it comes to eating he prefers to eat off my plate. I am the one who taught him to talk, walk. I am the one who teaches him Marital arts. I am the one who can control him and talk to him as a person. He shares everything with me and no one else. I'm a bit old to have such a wonderful gift, and sometimes I get worn out, but even with that I get the energy from some where to do the things he wants because no one else will.

Response by COL Charles Williams made Jul 12 at 2015 12:58 AM

2015-07-12T00:58:12-04:00

CPT Chris Loomis What matters most, is not what you do, but that you make your family a priority.

After you hang up your boots... you will still have your family, hopefully. But, you have to work at that, and make it a priority. As a leader you must model a balanced family friendly lifestyle. Why would a young leader want to stay, if they work for a workaholic who never has time for anything but work? They probably would not. Life is short, and our families outlast the Army, if you do it right.

When I went into battalion and brigade command, my first objective was the model a balance lifestyle. I worked for several commanders, who did not, and that meant everyone worked long hours and suffered needlessly. You have to lead by example this area too. There will always be work tomorrow, and in these times of high OPTEMPO, you need to enjoy your home station time and cherish it. My other two command objectives after balance, were to make a difference everyday, and leave the unit better than I found it.

That said, with my kids it was biking, hiking, traveling playing whatever they wanted, scouts, and lots of time on Ice Hockey with my son... and Horses with my daughter... The time together was the key, not the activities.

Response by CW4 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 12 at 2015 1:16 AM

2015-07-12T01:16:24-04:00

My kids and I are really big into sports, so if the Michigan weather is treating us right, we will play basketball, soccer or football. We ride bikes together too. If we are reduced to indoor activities, then it's nerf fun wars or Lego building contest. We also like to play XBOX Kinect too. My wife often says that I'm her 4th kid because we are always finding something to get into.

Response by SGT Kieshe Mahnke made Jul 12 at 2015 7:11 AM

2015-07-12T07:11:05-04:00

I live taking them to Crown Crnter in Fowntown Kansas City to SeaLife Aquarium and Legoland in the weekends, swimming at the pool during the summer or to the movies.

Response by SMSgt Scott Marshall made Jul 12 at 2015 11:45 AM

2015-07-12T11:45:54-04:00

My girls and I plan our menu each week always looking to try new things, go shop for the ingredients and then cook the meals together. Mom loves it and so do the girls. It's a great way to spend time together each week.

Response by SFC Stephen King made Jul 12 at 2015 11:56 AM

2015-07-12T11:56:11-04:00

Lifting and golfing

Response by SPC Nathan Freeman made Jul 12 at 2015 12:10 PM

2015-07-12T12:10:49-04:00

I have a friend at church who works with wood so I'm taking the kids to his shop over the summer to build bookshelves for the living room. They will be heirloom pieces some day. We hope to build a lot of quality furniture together.

Response by SSG Christopher Freeman made Jul 13 at 2015 7:21 PM

2015-07-13T19:21:23-04:00

Crafts and reading are big in our house. If all else fails lots of push ups for the kids always works haha

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 14 at 2015 12:56 PM

2015-07-14T12:56:37-04:00

LT Loomis...awesome fort! To me, the common thread with ensuring I get quality time with the kids is to commit to it. I tell the kids that Monday I don't have work, and we are doing something...then I put it on my calendar (it makes it easy to push back with work if I say I already have a plan for a family event) and my wife is MORE than capable of being my accountability partner and keeping me on track with spending time with the kids.

Its easier for me since my kids are young (6 & 3), so a short day trip to the closest city's museum is as exciting to them as a big trip to Disney. That being said, I try to leverage opportunities near wherever we are posted (Niagara Falls from West Point, DC from Quantico, Mexico from Ft Bliss, etc.) because I know that the opportunity won't always be there...movies and indoor stuff always will, but getting out in Kansas City (I am at Leavenworth now) is something we can only do for a few years.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 15 at 2015 10:39 PM

2015-07-15T22:39:50-04:00

I like taking my kids to aquarium or parks, sometimes it doesn't even matter what we are doing as long as we are together :)

Response by SSG (ret) William Martin made Jul 16 at 2015 8:24 PM

2015-07-16T20:24:32-04:00

That little fort is AWESOME! I loved making forts when I was a kid.

Response by 2LT Scott Armstrong made Jul 20 at 2015 12:57 AM

2015-07-20T00:57:19-04:00

Parenting is a contact sport. Don't be a spectator. Being a Dad is simply the best job I will ever have.

Response by CPT Erik Eriksen made Jul 21 at 2015 5:29 PM

2015-07-21T17:29:45-04:00

My kids are both over 20, so I try to do exciting one or two day adventures. We go SCUBA diving every Labor Day. We do a big paintball scenario game once or twice a year. I took them both for their first skydive recently. Beach-hopping from Mass into Maine. Go to the Empire State Games (an Olympic-style event for high school athletes in Lake Placid every year). Touring Boston, NYC, and Niagra Falls.