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Buy Your Time

Buy Your Time
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Backstory

“Overwhelmed” is how parents with careers have described their days during the pandemic. A constant dual between family and work. Kids can get caught in the middle. This little guy had a solution.

Buy Your Time

A man came home from work late. He was tired and irritated and was actually hoping that his 5-year-old son was already in bed. Instead, there was the child excited to see his weary dad and full of questions.

“Daddy,” he asked, “how much do you make an hour?” Well, dad had no idea of where the conversation would lead. “If you must know, I make $50 an hour”. “Oh,” the little boy said, disappointed. “Could I borrow $25?”. Well, the father was just too tired to continue the conversation. But later, he went into the child’s bedroom to tuck his son in for the night.

“Here’s the money you wanted to borrow son. What’s it for?” “If I add it to what I saved up,” the little boy explained, “I’ll have $50. Now I can buy an hour of your time.” His dad looked dumbfounded. His son continued, “I’d like to have dinner with you Dad. Show you how good I throw a ball now and ride my bike really fast. I know you have to earn money for us, but I could give you the money if you could give me your time.”  So easy for us to work so hard that time slips through our fingers. Be sure to share your valuable time with those who count.

P.S.  How do you spend time with your kids? It doesn’t count if he is playing his video game over there and you are playing yours over here!  Time that counts is time spent in the present when you’re listening and she is too. Not easy. Start out by lifting your eyes off the phone, looking each other in the face, and smiling.  Does wonders.

Filed Under: Family and Friendship Tagged With: Dads, parenting, time

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Elizabeth H. Cottrell says

    May 15, 2022 at

    Wow this is a zinger! What a poignant story! Will be sharing widely…

    Reply
    • Annette Petrick says

      May 28, 2022 at

      Grateful for the forwarding you do, Elizabeth.

      Reply
  2. Karyn says

    May 15, 2022 at

    I just spent 6 hours straight PLAYING with my grandsons the whole time: Boggle, Jinga, creating Lego cities, building defensive walls with blocks and magnetic thing-a-ma-bobs, and defending the city from dinosaur attacks. We all had a fun time and no one “ran away” to do something else. I was joyfully exhausted by the time their Mom came home. My parents never “played” with me. I didn’t ‘play’ with my kids, either. I am so glad that now it is not only socially acceptable for parents to play with their kids, but actually encouraged. Kids will grow up happier, for sure… and perhaps parents will be happier, too.

    Reply
    • Annette Petrick says

      May 15, 2022 at

      Bill and I marvel at the joy and fulfillment we have at this time of life. A gift from God.

      And the move that put you in paradise was deciding to throw everything up in the air and move to Indiana. Being with those grandbabies is your gift from God. So glad you use that gift so often, thereby bringing joy into their lives too. We are two very fortunate and blessed Sobol women! Love you.

      Reply
  3. JILL MARTINEAU CORNISH says

    May 15, 2022 at

    This one made me cry. I know my children never got enough of me…

    Reply
    • Annette Petrick says

      May 15, 2022 at

      My sister just wrote how she just played with grandkids for six hours straight. I think she figured it out, Jill.

      Reply

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