posted by Jennie on Apr 28
It was just recently that the hubby and I noticed that we have practically done away with our “Couch Time.” We are not a perfect couple. We may stray away from what’s ideal from time to time. But we make sure that we go right back to the basics as soon as we are reminded about it.
Couch time is what we used to do as soon as the hubby gets home. The default is usually that the father goes to the child for bonding time as soon as he’s home. But the healthier thing to do is for the husband and wife to get together first for their couch time. It does not need to be very long. Aside from having your child see that the priority is each other, it also forces the couple to put everything else aside and give each other the undivided attention they cannot otherwise do in their daily schedule. It also erases the thought on the child that the world revolves around him. This is especially true in our case because we have an only child. We strongly believe that an only child does not have to mean a spoiled child. Aside from that, it gives the children a sense of security, which the family is suppose to give them to begin with.
We have practically laid off on our couch time for a while. We immediately see its effect on our son when we try to jump right back to it — disapproval manifests through his actions (frowning, running towards his room and gives us those “don’t spend time with me anymore ha” phrases). It wasn’t hard for him to adjust right back to it. As of late, because of our very busy schedules, we are thinking of enrolling ourselves in a gym. It would be nice to do treadmills side by side (although I know I will hardly keep up with the hubby). We just thought that maybe it will further force us to put our gadgets aside and bond on a more regular basis. Our schedules have gone crazier as soon as 2010 set in. We’ll see. But for now, couch time is officially back. 
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April 28th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
My husband says that when he was growing up, he and his siblings will wait near the door for their dad to come home from work. Then as soon as he does, they’ll all jump all over him happily. His dad will always be happy at all the attention from the kids but the first thing he always always always asks is: “Where’s your mother?”
And they will all bring him to the kitchen where his mom would be preparing dinner and then they’ll leave them alone. They would all go back to the living room or the dining room or their bedrooms because they knew that mommy and daddy’s first priority is always each other. But that made them feel super secure and happy!
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April 29th, 2010 at 10:18 pm
Even when we were kids, we would always wait for Dad to come back from office and then the entire family would sit together in night for at least couple of hours. There were not many TV sets then and so we could spend more time with each other. Mom and Dad would share their childhood stories and we listened to that with so much delight. Mom and Dad always cared for each other…Now that my dad is no more, I know my Mom has that vacuum that got created in her life which will never fill in.
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