What 10 Uninterrupted Minutes with my Son Taught Me About Connection

I read a post challenging mothers to spend 10 uninterrupted meetings with their child each day. Amidst getting ready for school, homework and baseball games, the task seemed daunting. I have three sons and one daughter. Two of the sons and one daughter are grown up now. The son who still lives with me is 11 now. I adopted him at 5 and like any of us, he has hurdles to overcome. With ADHD and difficulties with socializing, it can be difficult to carry on a conversation with him. Thankfully, he hasn’t reached the teenage years yet though and is agreeable to whatever I ask of him. This morning it came to me that a good use of our 10 minutes during a busy week could be to have a conversation. It would not only help me to better understand him, but also introduce socializing to him in a different light. The premise of our conversation was for me to ask him a question, and then he, in turn, would ask me a question. He had no difficulty answering questions, but struggled when he had to ask me a question. At first, it was simple. I asked questions like “What’s your favorite color, your favorite food…” but he would ask me the same question in return. Then I started asking him about “What kind of vehicle would you like when you first start driving, i.e. car, truck, jeep, etc.” and he had to think of different questions for me. He ended up asking me about my job and if I ever moved, where would I go. By the end of it, we were both laughing and he got on the bus smiling. My what 10 minutes can do.

I would like to challenge you to 10 minutes a day. If you’re a mother, then 10 minutes with your child. If not, think of someone else you could devote that 10 minutes a day to. I would love to hear in the comments—who are you spending your 10 minutes with, and what did it look like?