How to Find Time to Connect With Kids in a Large Family, Part One

Before we adopted, we had to thoroughly answer the question of how we would be able to spend time with all those kids. After all, we already had 5 and the adoption brought the total to 7. (Don't forget - Kendra has 8!!!)

Now that we have the girls home and are actively working to weave them into the fabric of our family, there is something that I do to spend time with all my kids that I never actually anticipated.

15 Second Snuggles, or Micro-Snuggles

The other day we were outside, playing, and my new little 2.5-year-old actually stood still for a few seconds. I gently pulled her onto my lap and held her and rocked, while counting to 15 in a sing-song voice. Then I let her go and she ran off to play some more. A few minutes later she circled back to me again and I grabbed her and did it again. She thought it was a fun game and I knew that it was slowly building into her brain that she is my child and I am her mommy.

My other children noticed what was going on and they started asking for quick snuggles, too. It has become a habit of mine to grab the kids as they pass me in the hallway or when they are reading on the couch or whenever I can and just give them a quick micro-snuggle.

**My husband gets time to connect, too**

I love to snuggle with the kids on the couch, but I don't always have time to sit down for an extended time to do that. These micro-snuggles are helping me connect with my children, even in the midst of a large, busy family.

~Michele

Part Two of How to Find Time to Connect With Kids in a Large Family

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