It’s up to the parents to decide whether they have time for their children. After my son was admitted early to the high school of his choice, many colleagues and friends met me and inevitably had to talk about their parenting experience, and every time I said that the most important thing is that parents must spend more time with their children. People often don’t believe me: “You are so busy every day, how can you have time to spend with your children?” In fact, as the well-known saying goes, “Time is like water in a sponge, you can always find it if you squeeze it.” Therefore, it is entirely up to the parents to decide whether they have time for their children. During the nine years of compulsory schooling for children, most parents are in a period of anxiety, climbing and transition in their careers. Parents often have to take care of their families and fight for their careers, often physically and mentally exhausted, and always feel that they don’t have the energy to spend with their children. The lack of time is absolute, but what is important is relative – all the things we “don’t have time” to do are relatively unimportant, or at least not the most important and urgent in our consciousness. We often encounter parents who blame themselves and regret that they are so busy that they don’t even have time for their children. Really don’t have time? Well, then by the time you have time, your child will have grown up. So, when your child grows up, will he still need you? How much influence can you have on your child when he grows up? So, as parents, the first question to ask yourself is: do we consider our children’s education as the most important thing. This is a question of self-worth, and no one else can make a judgment or trade-off for us. How much love you give today, how much love you can reap in the future; how much hard work you give today, how much happiness you can reap in the future. The time available depends on the willingness of parents to sacrifice When my child was in kindergarten, I had to read to him every night before bedtime. This habit has been maintained until the fourth grade. Then there was a time when I had a lot of work and stress, and many times when I got home at night, my children were already asleep. Sometimes I came home earlier, but I was too tired to pick up the book. Once, my child’s homeroom teacher sent me a text message telling me that my child was feeling nostalgic in his essay – nostalgic for the father who used to read with him at night before bedtime. The child understood that his father was busy outside for the sake of the family, but his heart was full of expectations for me. I read the text message and burst into tears. The bedtime reading and storytelling that I thought was not so important was so important in his heart. So, I managed to find time to resume my old bedtime habit. What I am most happy about is that my child loves to read as a result. He has read many famous books, both ancient and modern. In fact, I have made sacrifices by insisting on reading with my children before bedtime. I love watching movies, and I often find good movies on the movie channel every night at 8:00 p.m. By the time my children go to bed at 9:00 p.m., it’s the most exciting time of the movie, and I can’t stop. At this time, do you continue to watch TV, or turn it off to spend time with your children? To stay with your child, you need to sacrifice your own hobbies and fun; you can also choose to continue watching TV, but, over time, you will also lose your child’s trust and the opportunity to communicate with your child. Someone in my son’s little group of friends often complains that his dad watches TV every night and just doesn’t talk to his kids or care about learning. We have social engagements on work days, we don’t have social engagements every day, do we? On weekends, would you rather sleep in or get up a little earlier and try to go running or fishing in the park with your kids? On vacation, would you rather go out and meet friends or go on a field trip with your own family? We often face such choices, although subtle, but also all need to give up something. “What we lose is what we gain.” While we sacrifice a small personal hobby or interest, we can reap greater joy from our children’s growth and progress. Parental companionship can help your child go through adolescence. During your child’s elementary school years, it is important for parents to devote time to companionship, care and education, as well as to lay the foundation for his upcoming adolescence. When a child enters adolescence, much of what parents say is greatly discounted, and rebelliousness can even cause parents to lose their influence over their children altogether. Therefore, before a child’s adolescence arrives, parents must establish a position and influence in their child’s mind and help them develop good behavior and study habits. The books we read to our child at bedtime may not help him write good essays or immediately establish a correct sense of right and wrong, but we will learn about his inner conflicts, his views on his classmates and teachers, and the limitations and bright spots in his thinking through little by little company. Most importantly, we will establish channels of communication and exchange with our child through the accumulation of these little moments, so that he will develop the habit of confiding in his parents and encouraging him to discuss with them how to deal with various difficulties. There is no doubt about one thing: 9 years of compulsory education is only a small part of a child’s life. While academic achievement is important, a child’s psychological and spiritual health is even more important, as it is related to his or her lifelong happiness. On the surface, many children’s psychological problems or deviant behavior appear during adolescence, but in reality, the root causes lie before puberty. As children grow older, their emotions and thoughts become richer and more sensitive. If we only care about our children’s food and clothing, but can’t get inside their heads when they are young, they will easily become lost and anxious during adolescence. By then it will be too late for us to complain that “the child does not talk to his parents about anything”. He is no longer willing to communicate with his parents, and he feels that they are not his friends and are not worth spilling their guts to.