10 Things to Add to Your Parenting Bucket List
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Before actually becoming parents, most people are filled with ideas of things that they assume they'll be doing with the children they have in the future. By the time those children come along and real life sets in, however, it becomes apparent that some dreams are just more difficult to fulfill than others in today's hurried, frantic world. Before you tear up that bucket list and give it up as a pipe dream, however, here are ten of the things you should make sure stay on it and that you should actively work towards achieving.
Take a Family Vacation - At first blush, the family vacation seems like a fairly obvious choice for a bucket list. Upon closer examination, however, many families realize just how difficult making this particular dream come true can be. When finances are tight and time is at a high premium, scheduling a getaway isn't always easy. Even if you have to save for years and can only carve out a few days away from work, though, traveling together as a family is something that shouldn't be missed.
Teach Kids the Importance of Giving Back - As a parent, your biggest and arguably your most important job is helping your child to grow into a compassionate, contributing member of adult society. It's never too early to start teaching kids the fundamentals of giving back to their communities.
Get a Family Pet - Pleas for a dog, cat or even something a bit more exotic are nothing new to the ears of a parent, just as refusals are nothing new to the younger members of the family. After quietly researching the types of pets available that can thrive in your individual household, put 'getting a pet' on your parenting bucket list. Not only will your kids be on cloud nine when you finally relent, you'll also be teaching them about the importance of caring for things that are reliant upon them for survival.
Help Your Teenagers Land Their First Jobs - Your kids will more than likely spend the majority of their adult lives as part of the workforce. As a result of that realization, some parents opt not to encourage their kids to work until they absolutely have to. Rather than setting your kids up for a life of hating their jobs and resenting the necessity of working, help your kids to land their first summer jobs and foster a sense of enthusiasm about earning money and a measure of independence.
Attend a Fan Event - Whether you've got a sports fan on your hands with a devotion to a specific team, a music lover whose favorite act is coming to town or a bookworm whose anxious to camp out for the midnight release of the latest installment in her favorite series, at least once in each of your kids' lives, indulge them by attending a fan event. You'll make memories that both of you will treasure forever, and it will give you the opportunity to spend a bit of one-on-one time together.
See Something Inspiring - The depths and breadth of the Grand Canyon, the wonder of the ocean crashing into the shore or a breathtaking piece of art history are all sights to behold, but they're better when the experience is shared with your nearest and dearest.
Build Something Together - Whether it's as simple as a pre-packaged bookshelf or as complex as a handcrafted dollhouse, take the time to build something tangible with your own hands as a project you share with your child. In addition to teaching valuable life skills, you'll also be teaching your child a lesson in independence and creativity.
Participate in a Food Fight - There's something about the idea of throwing food around that gives kids a permanent case of the giggles. While wasting food and making enormous messes isn't advised as part of your regular parenting routine, you may find that the shock and awe accompanying a normally-strict parent's participation in something as kid-friendly and forbidden as a full-on food fight is enough to justify a single battle of the biscuits.
Have a 'Mental Health Day' - Having perfect attendance at school means that your child missed out on no valuable information and that she will be rewarded with a certificate or acknowledgment of some sort at the end of the school year. Unless you're committed to the idea of 100% perfect attendance every day of her school career, consider pulling your child out of classes one day for no good reason at all. Not because she's feeling ill, not because there's a family emergency. Simply to spend a bit of quality time together that has the added sweetness of slight rebellion.
Share a Love From Your Own Childhood - Your kids love their favorite pop starlets and television shows with a passion, but how much would they love the ones you followed at their age? Spend an afternoon introducing your brood to the things that you loved as a kid. You may be surprised by the things that they latch onto.