Want to get to know your kids? Spend time with them!

OK, time for me to brag about my kids a little! Nothing makes me prouder than when I'm as a restaurant and an older couple comes up the table after they are done eating and says, "You know you have some of the best behaved and most well mannered kids I have ever seen."

This can make a dad pretty darn proud of his kids, real quick, and this has happened not just once or twice, but I actually can't count the times this has happened to us in the last 9 years. But, what is my secret? I spend time with them. I love my kids, I coach their baseball and softball teams, I even let each of them pick out one show that is all theirs, and have daddy / child time to just sit and watch it together.

We play games as a family. We walk in the park together at least once a week and just talk. Yes, talk about life, what is going on and we spend a lot of time together as a family.

If you don't know about my kids, I have 9 year old, a 6 year old, and a 3 year old that has been named by the family as "Miss Talks A Lot" because, well, she does! Now why is this important to know? Have you ever been in a car with kids? OK, it isn't always quiet, but I can tell you my kids are the greatest when it comes to me doing business. They understand if daddy doesn't work, we don't have food or a house. When my phone rings in the car, it goes very quiet in my car! My kids will grab a book and start reading, or draw a picture, but they are quiet. I've had clients on the phone 30 minutes before my kids have said something, and my clients say, "Your kids are with you? I would have never known, they were so quiet!"

Why do I feel my kids are the way they are? I truly try to spend as much time with them as possible. They are just as much a part of the family as mommy, and I let them know that. Any major decision involves them. I try to spend a least one hour a day with the family and 30 minutes with each child a day. I read to them before they go to bed and just really enjoy being around them. I make them feel just as special as they make me feel! I really could care less what day father's day is because my kids truly make everyday feel like father's day.

My father is still my best friend and we talk everyday and hang out at least 2-3 times a week with Grandpa and Grandma. (Blazer games are important bonding time you know - lol)

So, spend some time with your kids and the attention you give to them will give you insight to who your kids are and build a relationship that will last a lifetime. These are all lessons I learned from my father, the best example of a dad in the world. (Thanks dad!)

Todd Clark - broker
Kastings & Associates
Phone: (503)524-9494
Fax: (503)622-8739