HOW A FATHER SHOULD SPEND QUALITY TIME [#17237]

December 9, 2021

QUESTION:

I spend about an hour and a half of time every day with my 3-year old son after he comes back from the babysitter, in between my morning and afternoon sedarim (sessions of Torah study). I usually take him to an afternoon park with machine rides. What should I do with him as I’m spending time with him?

ANSWER:

Tell him a story, and allow him to express himself in the middle, and through this, have conversations with him. Talk to him on his level of understanding, and from showing an interest in his life, in his wishes, and his fantasies. Play with him also, and make sure to also play him with more complex games that require a bit of thinking (only to the level of thinking that he’s capable of). Amidst all this, make sure every so often to tell him something serious that’s inward and truthful, for example by telling him “Hashem loves you and He gives you everything”, and also express your own words of love to him.