special feature
Timing when your child will need you most is as difficult as timing the
stock market. Every good investor knows you need to spread your net
wide over a long period of time and ride out those down periods in order to
catch those ups. Parenting is similar this way: you can’t time when your
child will be vulnerable or feel triumphant. Simple statistics dictates that
the more quantity time you make, the more opportunities you’ll have for
quality time. For one, quantity time builds trust because building any
relationship takes time. And quantity time has a special way of telling
your child she’s valued because time is the most valuable asset we have.
Creating more time to spend with your child, though, is no easy feat
for the busy modern parent. Not to mention that more quantity time
with a parent stretched so thin could be more harmful than beneficial.
Notwithstanding the need for balance, the idea that quantity and quality
time are mutually exclusive seems short-sighted.
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