My mother gave me a dough mixer for my birthday. Not just any mixer but the one that she had owned her entire life, a wedding gift from her mother on her wedding day.
Let me explain why this meant so much to me. My mom was always a vibrant, active woman who spent most of her time in the kitchen cooking enough food for an army of Tribbles. When she developed serious health issues it put an end to long hours spent talking about our lives while she taught me how to bake all of the family recipes that have been passed down through generations.
That Bosch mixer and every pie crust, cake and loaf of bread that comes from it is a reminder of that connection and how easy it was to speak with her on those occasions. A lesson that I realized upon being gifted the appliance I had not taken enough time to implement with my own children.
It isn’t just sentimentality at play here. Experts have found that since the rise of technology has become such a major part of our lives, children and parents are communicating less and less.
Another study, one that is far more alarming, shows that failing to communicate regularly with children as early as in their toddler years can forever impact development and even academic performance later on.
With a little effort and thought you can open the lines of communication with your children again.
Tyler enjoys going to the mountains near his home in Draper, Utah to connect with his wife and children through camping, hiking, and quality time together. When he isn’t rebooting in the outdoors, he shares his fatherly experiences with the world through writing and creative work. Tyler shares the ups and downs of family life and the solutions he’s found through lengthy research and involvement in the industry and his own experiences to help parents everywhere. Follow Tyler on: Twitter | LinkedIn