Top 10 Things Kids Want from Parents

So what exactly are the things that kids remember? Would you believe there is a list of such items derived from children themselves?


A wise teacher named Erin Kurt happened to have the insight to ask her students what they most liked their parents to do with them. She asked this same question every year for 16 years and from these responses she revealed, “The Top 10 Things Kids Want From Parents.”
Be prepared to be surprised.
Be prepared to be hopeful.
Be prepared to give yourself a celebratory high five, because the news is good, my friends.
And if you are like me, you might even have unexpected tears. Because the things your kids will remember are a lot easier to do than we often overly-pressured parents have been led to believe. And you might already be doing some of them.
The Top Ten Things Kids Really Want Their Parents To Do With Them

1. Come into my bedroom at night, tuck me in and sing me a song. Also tell me stories about when you were little.
2. Give me hugs and kisses and sit and talk with me privately.
3. Spend quality time just with me, not with my brothers and sisters around.
4. Give me nutritious food so I can grow up healthy.
5. At dinner talk about what we could do together on the weekend.
6. At night talk to me about about anything; love, school, family etc.
7. Let me play outside a lot.
8. Cuddle under a blanket and watch our favorite TV show together.
9. Discipline me. It makes me feel like you care.
10. 10. Leave special messages in my desk or lunch bag.

Isn’t it simple?
Isn’t it beautiful?
Isn’t it achievable?
This list inspires me so much that I taped it to my fridge. It serves as a reminder that it’s the small things we do as parents that mean the most, and it is those very same things that our kids will remember when they are grown.
Most of these actions are fairly simple if (and this is a big IF) I am not tied to my distraction. I am referring to external distraction in the form of electronic devices, computers, to-do lists, and exploding calendars. I am also referring to internal distraction like pressure for things to look or be a certain way, thoughts of inconvenience, fear of messes—all things that prevent us from living in the moment and grasping what really matters.
But when I compare the distractions in my life to the things that matter to children, it quickly puts my distractions in their proper place on the priority list.

Less clean surfaces and more projects that reach across the table for hours … maybe even days

Less drawer usage and more piles

Less keyboard typing/online activity and more old-fashioned notebooks/face time

Less treadmill running and more unconventional forms of exercise

Less hours spent in the kitchen and more casual picnic dinners on the patio (popsicles included)

Less baking perfection and more helping hands

Less formal sheet music and more playing of the tunes within our heart

Less watching of Netflix and more watching of the storms roll in

Less “hurry up” and more “pause”

Less time spent on appearance and more hats on unwashed hair

Less sitting on the side and more jumping in to the action