Parents of multiple children- How often do you get to enjoy one-on-one time with your kids?

I try and make this happen at least 3 times a week. Going right now to the auto bone yard with just my oldest to pick some parts for his car and will jam with my youngest when I get back. I take each out to the restaurant of their choice once a month…those are the best conversations too!

@Cruiser “Those are the best conversation too!”

I totally agree. Last night, my daughter brought up some “female” questions that she wouldn’t normally ask in front of her dad or little sister. It was so great to have that time with her.

Mine are all grown now, but when they were little my now ex-wife and I set asside one evening each week for each child to have time with us. This worked out very well, especially since there were five of them, thus leaving the weekends open for time with ALL of them. : )

@WillWorkForChocolate just last weekend I had to have “that” conversation with my 12 yr old. At least I had my earlier conversation with my now 15 yr old to fall back on!

Now having one kid in SF and one in Paris it is very easy to only have alone time with them. When they were young, it was usually on car trips to and from activities.

My young people have moved out now so not as often as I would like. Usually one of my daughter is home before the other on our family night so we get to catch up. The other visits to earn some spare cash doing some chores around here. So I get to see her on her own then.

When they were younger, I followed my dad’s example and if I was going to the shops or to do something, I would take one or the other with me. My son and I had ‘dates’ occasionally and especially when he was little. We would go off to the cinema together. He loved it. Later he was playing sport and so had lots of time with either me or my husband or both on our own. It can be difficult to organise anything much more than that in a busy household with lots of things going on. I do think it is a very valuable thing to do.

I don’t worry about one on one time. I know everyone says it is important, but I figure it will happen when it happens.

As it happens, I just got back from a week long vacation with my son. We had a good time and that’s better than the alternative.

I have three kids and I try to take each of them out for one on one time at least once every couple of months. I’ll up that rate if I see a child needs some extra time.

I’m with them all the time so we get many moments through the day when we are one on one.

In small doses, pretty frequently. I’ll just hang out with one of the three right in the house, cuddling and talking, and the other two will know that time is for that child, specifically. One of them seems to really need time alone with me more than the other two, so she goes out of her way to ask me for it, and gets it pretty often. When that happens, I try to also give the other two some time of their own in the same day or weekend.

Here and there, I’ll run errands with just one of them, and we have great conversations in the car. Other than that, though, I’m not very good about it. I tried to do a scheduled time for each of them, but couldn’t maintain it.