Take the young ones out
It’s good for their health
A certain friend of mine has sentimental memories of outings with her dad in a bar. Whilst those days bring precious and sacred feelings to her, I cannot say that it is a wholesome way for father and child to spend quality time. At any rate, she mostly sat alone with a bottle of soda (a rare treat in her days) while her father bantered away with his beer buddies – and somehow able to keep her in his line of sight.
To his credit, however, the man had the right mind-he wanted to spend time with his child, only that his execution of it was questionable. Furthermore, it is important for a father to interact with his child. If you have been away or busy, or even if you have been present, going out with your child in a different setting helps you get reacquainted.
You will then appreciate something in them that you had never noticed before because of the familiar household routines. You might be shocked at how tall they are, or clever, or social. Certain gifts will manifest and you will discover better ways of bringing them up. Additionally, they will see you in a way that will enrich their perception of who “daddy” is supposed to be.
You do not have to be a great “outdoor man” to give your kids the perfect outing adventure. Usually, just a change of scenery does it all. Keeping it simple the whole idea. Because the important thing is that the choice of activity enables you to have fun together, to bond and learn about yourselves and about the world. Conventionally, a day out is a family affair. But sometimes you, the father, might just want that uninterrupted time with your offsprings, where all their attention is on you and yours on them. If you have one child, then your paternal instincts are sure to manage emergent situations that may come up in an outing such as controlling tantrums, bathroom visits and such.
If you have several children, or even just two, and you know immediately that you might be overwhelmed, you can take them out in.. turns. You come home one day and announce that tomorrow you are taking someone out for ice-cream and that the next day someone else. This builds excitement and a certain looking-forward-to in which no child feels overlooked.
You must make a point of attending you child’s sports or music event at school if you say that you will. You might say it lightheartedly to please him or her, but he or she will hold you to it as a solemn promise. Your faithful presence will foster his or her trust and will ultimately translate into a model of integrity that he or she will take up. You may never teach him or her the significance of keeping one’s word-but he or she will grasp it fully from your example. Now, life being what it is, it may happen that you have to break a promise.
You must explain that to your child and make new plans to make up. Even better, do the activity early if it is convenient. It will take the look of disappointment on that small, angelic face to cure your thoughtless promises forever. Yet, ironically, since we are motivated by our love for our children, we cannot help but make all kinds of promises to them.
Kids also love animals -most kids at least. Visits to animal parks in Nairobi such as the Giraffe Centre are unequaled in their quality of fun. Visitors are allowed to get close enough to touch and feed, and you can suggest that they give them pet names.
Additionally, guided nature walks at the Nairobi Animal Park are especially educational for them and you. and if you can get there on a Saturday mid- morning, you might have a personal guide, before the crowd at midday makes guides unavailable altogether, leaving you with no choice but to repeat to the young ones what you heard or saw on the National Geographic channel.
The Children’s Traffic Park on Uhuru Highway is another hangout option. It is a children’s playground where your children can learn the spirit of sharing. You may have to stand on the side and watch them as they play. Public holidays present perfect opportunities as well. You might worry about the crowd, but that can be a good thing since they fill the air with animation. Just always hold your hand as you mingle in. The activities in public parks range from exhibitions, cultural dances, acrobatic shows, face-painting and bouncing castles.
It will be helpful to find out in advance about the amusements offered in your area so that you determine if it is the kind you and your child want to tryout. Entrance fees vary depending on seasons of the year and the age of children but if you plan in advance, this should not be a barrier to a family outing. But if your finances are not very giving at that moment, then why not hangout at home. Kids are not so sophisticated that money has to be spent to please them.
Well, unless you have trained them that way. You can invent games in the car or on the floor of the living room. Just remember that some kids are not always very good losers, so work it out so that enjoyment and learning is the whole idea, rather than winning. Go wild. Get messy in the house. Or you can take a walk with your kids in the evening to a friend’s house or just around the block. Or you can go with them shopping for their back-to- school stuff, or even attend regular Sunday services at your church together.
Finally, it is important that these activities be long and often enough to be meaningful. They must not be hurried or jam-packed like a politician’s campaign itinerary. Let your kids set the pace since the whole thing centers around them. You might have to clear out an entire Saturday or a Sunday evening just so that they can have your exclusive attention. And remember to always take pictures and videos for your home library. Twenty years after and these photos are going to be the family’s sacred collective memory.
END: BL 43/44-45