A Date with My Daughter

Do you ever spend alone time with just one child or go on a 'date' with your child alone? I have been reading a lot lately about the importance of spending one-on-one time with your children individually, to help them feel valued as individuals and to keep the lines of communication open. 

While I have lots of alone time with my son, who only goes to nursery school a few days a week, it is very seldom that I get to spend alone time with Noodle and I got the feeling that Noodle was craving some one-on-one attention. When Squish was younger, his nap time always used to be our special bonding time but he has dropped his midday nap a few months ago. We decided to declare this Saturday 'Noodle Day'- a day to do what she wanted to do (within reason). The two of us would have a girls morning together, while dad and son got some quality bonding time too.

The top item on her list, surprisingly, was to go for a haircut. She has been asking us to take her to get her hair cut for ages and her hair has grown super long, going all the way down her back so it was probably time for a trim. We went to Chop It, a child-centred hair salon at Lifestyle Centre in Randpark Ridge. It is a child friendly salon set in an 'enchanted forest'. The little ones get to watch a DVD of their choice while they get their hair done and they get treated to a lollypop and a balloon afterwards. It is a great place for younger children who are a bit nervous to get their haircut and you can even get a certificate for first hair cuts.

Besides the awesome hair salon, the other reason I picked Lifestyle Centre is because they have so many other things for children to do, making it perfect for our date. Noodle went on a couple of rides at the amusement park and had fun playing on the jungle gyms. We went for a walk through the nursery and the pet store (her favourite place) and had a good chat. Then we stopped at The Silver Birch for some hot chocolate (we couldn't finish them- they are huge!). Noodle and I had a good chat about anything and everything. 

After we had some family visit us in the afternoon, the fun continued in the evening with a visit to Montecasino- this time with daddy and baby brother too. We never go near the casino area here but there is lots of other entertainment for the whole family and the kids had a blast. They played games, had a bite to eat and ran laps at the big grassy patch outside. We have been watching Youtube videos learning about various geographical landmarks- the Kabah, the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, Big Ben etc. So my son was very excited when he spotted the clock tower at Montecasino, saying "look- there's Big Ben!".

All in all, it was a great day for the whole family and Noodle declared it the best day ever. Operation Noodle Day was a success!