Notice and embrace one-on-one time

Watch for little moments when you can connect

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to notice and embrace one on one time
with the people you care about. Special occasions are great,

(00:25):
but there might be moments in everyday life that can
be special as well. Longtime readers and listeners know that
I've often tried to do mommy days with my kids.
I have a lot of kids, and it can be
really fun to spend a day with just one of them,
doing what the kid wants to do. I know a

(00:45):
lot of people try to do something similar, especially over
the summer, when more flexible schedules make that possible. But
it is not always possible, and even if it is,
it is probably not wise to pin all your hopes
for a relationship on a particular day. Instead, I think
it's also wise to notice and embrace one on one

(01:08):
movements that just happen in the course of life, even
if they aren't planned. They do happen, and they can
be meaningful too. For instance, there are plenty of times when,
out of necessity, a parent is just with one kid.
Maybe you are taking a teen to an orthodonist appointment
in the middle of a school day. Maybe you are

(01:29):
driving a kid to a swim meet on the other
side of town. Maybe one kid is out of friends
and you only have the other at home and you
need to run an errand. With a mindset of noticing
and embracing one on one time, you can pay more
attention to these instances and try to make them meaningful.
For instance, maybe you offer to take your kid out

(01:51):
for ice cream before bringing her back to school after
an appointment. Maybe you ask your kid to be the
DJ for your car as a way to get the
AirPods out of their ears and get them talking. Maybe
you offer to stop somewhere that your kid enjoys after
your errands. These things aren't in lieu of one on
one days, which I think are great. They are just

(02:13):
in addition, but they all make deposits into your relationship
bank account. Noticing and embracing one on one time is
relevant for other relationships too. If you are sharing a
cab to a meeting with a colleague, actually talk with
each other about work, about your lives, or your shared interests.

(02:36):
Make the most of this time for relationship building. If
you're taking your elderly mother to a doctor's appointment, you
can spend the time in the waiting room chatting and
sharing memories. Let it be meaningful time for connection, not
just an interruption to your work. I hear from many
people who want to fit in more focused time for relationships,

(02:59):
and that can be great. But you may be able
to get more time for connection without adding anything to
your schedule by simply noticing and being present for the
one on one time you are already spending with your
loved ones. Keep your eyes open, be present, and you
just might find that you are already making progress on

(03:23):
this front. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening,
and here's to making the most of our time. Thanks
for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas,

(03:44):
or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at Laura
vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia.
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