Finding time to bond with your kid is an important thing...and also a tough one. With a demanding job, pressing appointments and only 24 hours in a day to spend, it is not unusual that a parent can hardly find time to be with his children.

The usual parent would be up early in the morning, take his breakfast and rush off to a 9 to 5 job, and to beat the traffic, this would be an early exit from the house when the children would probably still be sleeping. When the children are awake and at home, he is in the office or working in the field. And when he returns from work, especially if he works overtime, it will be somewhat late at night with the children already sleeping and in bed.

The dilemma of a parent is indeed to find time to spend with his children and to bond and foster a relationship with his children.

A relationship requires time to be formed. It requires time to be nurtured. It requires care and attention to be established, and understanding of the children needs.

What then should a parent do?

Consider some of these tips that work for a majority of parents.

Deliberately establish a portion of your time weekly to be with your child.

Plan ahead to make sure the time spent with your child is quality time.

Dedicate the time with your child solely to enjoying the time spent with him and forget whatever other business in your mind at that time!

Share experiences, skills and transfer knowledge to your kid when you spend time with him

Consider your child a replica of yourself years back when you were his age - you will do your best to draw near to him and project warmth and understanding of his needs for his age

Establishing a relationship with your child takes effort, time and priority. There is no way out and no substitute. But in the process you can find tremendous joy in knowing you have bonded with your kid, and have enjoyed his trust and companionship, and he in turn has found you to be a parent, a father or a mother, and also his best friend.