A question I frequently need to ask myself when I am becoming frustrated that my teenager does not want to spend time with me is, am I asking her to do what I want to do, or what she wants to do.

I love going for walks, I love working out, reading books and watching movies with my family. And although I try my best not to be offended when my kids would rather do anything than join me – I cannot help but to have my feelings hurt.

When I introduced my daughter to surfing, it was all she would ever talk about. I became frustrated that she continually asked me, multiple times a day, to take her surfing. Don’t get me wrong, I love surfing and I am beyond excited that she loves it as well, but we have homeschooling, chores, and a house to renovate. We can’t just drop everything to go enjoy our hobby!

My husband brought to my attention that surfing is excellent exercise and it would be really good for the kids to take them to the beach in the morning. Since we are homeschooling, we have the luxury of flexibility. Not only does this break up the routine a bit, it’s an excellent opportunity to spend quality time with my daughter doing something she loves.

I realized as she and I rode the same wave into shore, that this time was absolutely precious. The chores and school work can wait just a little. If the world were to end tomorrow, we would be grateful for the time spent together, regardless of how clean the house was.