Simple as Peanut Butter & Jelly

As a parent you can spend all day planning an exquisite meal —prepping, cooking, and serving a feast for the family that would make even Bobby Flay proud. While your efforts and culinary prowess may deserve applause from the Top Chef community, sometimes it’s just unnecessary.  Many times, all it would have taken was a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich to make your child happy!

It’s your job as mom or dad to identify how and when to take advantage of the PB&J moments in your child’s life. It seems cliché, but realistically it’s the simple things that matter most: spending quality time, listening, sharing and being considerate.

Many parents put so much pressure on themselves to play the role of “Super-Mom” or “No. 1 Dad” that they may overlook or underestimate the basics.

As difficult as it to think about, there is a chance your child may not share your interests. For instance, Johnny may not want anything to do with sports even though dad was a college football star. In our society which lends itself to over indulge our children, parents need to remember that while a shopping spree at Toys-R-Us will provide your child the latest and greatest toys, it is not a replacement for spending quality time playing with them. Once again, just because mom loves to cook, does not mean her children will prefer surf and turf to Smuckers and Jiff.  

It is this understanding and willingness to spend time listening, engaging, and supporting your child’s interests or tastes that make a huge difference in your relationship with them.

At The UCLA Family Commons our experts spend a great deal of time during coaching sessions highlighting the importance of understanding and communication within the family. Given the fact that life has such a propensity to get in the way, there is no sense in making things more complicated. William Shakespeare once said, “It is a wise father that knows his own child.” That quote applies to both moms and dads, and in the simplest of ways, it reinforces the importance of really knowing your children in order to be a great parent. Realistically, no matter what you may think, sometimes things truly are as simple as peanut butter and jelly.