Some friends of mine were talking about Parenting Expert and well-known author, Stephen Biddulph on "Raising Boys". As I have a young old son, I was interested to hear what Stephen had to say. The key point that I picked up on was that boys from the age of 6 -14 really need 'time' with their dad.

The age of 6 - 14 is the most influential period in their lives for bonding with Dad. The type of time boys need can't be thrown into a once a week or month block or some exotic holiday once a year. Kids need to spend time with their Dads on a regular basis. It's the only way to build a strong and stable relationship.

I did some further research on the impact of parents spending time with their children. The experts all agree -- kids want and need time with their parents. It is important to have time together as a family and also some one-on-one time with each of your children. Boys do need time with their Dad. And girls, need time with their Dad too. Yes, you guessed it - boys and girls need time with their mum. Children learn how to interact with, respect (or lack respect) and express themselves from their family interactions.

They also form create rules in their brain, literally, about how important they are, how capable they are and whether they are good or bad based on these early childhood interactions with You. Most of these rules are hardwired in a child's brain by about 10 years of age.

Are you investing enough time in your children?

It seems today that in trying to create financial security through successful careers, our relationships are breaking down. People are totally dominated by their work and have little energy to invest in themselves and their families.

Brian Tracy tells us in the Psychology of Achievement that the average "quality time" a father spends with their teenage child is 7 minutes a week!

I wish I spent more time in the office

It's very interesting to note that every client I have coached -- male or female -- business owner or manager -- all told me they want more time for their family and for themselves. Many of these people are very wealthy. They have worked hard and are successful people, in a business and financial sense.

Have you ever heard of some at the end of their life saying "I wish I spent more time at the office."

Of course not. You DO hear about how someone wished they spent more time with loved ones or more time doing things they really enjoyed or took a risk to start a hobby/business they were passionate about.

The Time of Your Life

So many people talk about how busy they are and how little time they have, yet most people do nothing about. They do not make a significant effort to change how they spend their time. They don't take time to learn the skills that will have a dramatic impact on their work and personal lives.

You have to block out time to spend with your family. Let's say you want to spend more time with your family. Do you plan for it? How much time do you invest in yourself to learn how to be more effective? Are you hoping that one day, work will ease off and then you can spend more time with your family? Do you think that you'll (hopefully) stumble on the secrets to finding more time and then you will see the family, travel and play golf?

You have to the make time to spend with your kids, with your family and friends. Invest in this time and be truly connected to the moments with them. Make it a priority to continue investing time in your family. Do it -- start today -- because, if nothing changes - nothing changes!

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