Quality time or Quantity time?

When i was studying in university time, someone told me, we need to spend more quality time with our children. During that time, the very young boy like me of course will not understand what he said. Then, i came to realize that quality time means that we need to pay 100% attention while attending to our children. Give them 100% focus so that our child will feel our love. During that time, i might just agreed as i don't have any child.

But later on till I have my own children, I began to think of what he said. Do I need to spend more quality time with my children or quantity time? But do I have quantity of time if i need to work from morning till evening?

One day, i think should be Sunday. I planned to play and be with my children for whole day. From morning till night, we enjoyed watching cartoon together, playing monopoly, singing karaoke, go to the park, eat together and read story before sleep. I did spend my quality time and quantity time as well with them. You know what happened?

Next day in the morning, both of them cry out loud looking for their daddy. As kids below 3 years old, they will always remembered the person played with them previously before they sleep. I have seen this happened to their grandma, maid, mother and even myself. What they need are both quality time and quantity time. Yes, they need both. What we need is to educate them on how to differentiate between playing time, reading time, sleeping time, eating time and etc....We need to plan for them.

However, as time passed and their age are growing, we need to tell them honestly that sometimes daddy cannot be with them all the time and need to go to work. Explain to them nicely with good reason. Surely they will understand. We should not worry and think that they are still young to listen to our explanation. Sometimes, they are smarter than us.

Happy parenting !!!