Family Time - Savoring Time with Your Teen #BeThereMoments

Family time is the most important time when the kids are at home. It often gets pushed by the wayside while we parents try to make more and more money so we can give our kids what we didn't have and still have a nest egg later in life. Kids don't want stuff so much as they want us. At the end of the day, family time is what matters, and that becomes more and more true as the kids become teens. They won't be around forever, and once they hit the teen years, you only have a limited amount of time to get in big blocks of time with them. Make the most of it!

Family Time - Making the Most of it Before They're Gone

My daughter made the decision to join the Navy, and while I am so proud, and I am also really sad. I've never NOT had her in my life on a daily basis. We've been through everything together from the highest highs to the lowest lows, and boy have their been some lows. Through it all, one thing has been constant - our relationship. Soon enough, that's going to change, though. I come from a military family, so I know that once she hits basic training, our time together will be few and far between. That's why I'm doing everything I can to make family time count even more now that she's graduated high school before she heads out to serve our country!

Beach Time

One of the things Angeline and I love to do for family time is to hang out at the beach. Hey, we're Miami girls. There's something about the beach that is just so cathartic. The hot sand between your toes, the warm water that washes over you like a wet, salty hug and the sunshine kissing your cheeks! The beach has always been a place where my daughter and I can go and just be girls. It's like all of our worries are pulled away from us with the tide. And what do you do while you're laying on a sandy beach? You chit chat.

Miami Time

I just said we're Miami girls, no? Well, what does Miami have if not amazing places to go? Miami is a city filled to bursting with culture and charm. Angeline and I can make a day of it in Miami hitting shops, looking at amazing art, and eating some of the best food you'll ever find in the country.

Talking Time

A lot of people say that they're best friends with their kids, but Angeline and I don't just say it. We live it. Our relationship is built on a foundation of trust, encouragement, holding one another up, and an intense love and bond. Our triumphs and tragedies cement us together, and through it all, we talk and talk and talk. That's going to be one of the biggest things I'll miss when she's gone. I won't even be able to call and bend her ear for a couple of hours. She'll be so busy doing whatever it is military people do!

Family Time is the Time that Binds

I will miss it so much when Angeline ships out. We have been like Thing 1 and Thing 2 since she was born, and I don't even know what daily life is going to be like when that particular form of family time isn't around any more. I mean, even though I travel a lot now that she's older, I've always known that I'll come back and see her. Pretty soon, that won't be the case and walking in the front door to a house without her is a scary thought...and a sad one too.

That's why I'm making the most of family time now. Michelin wants us all to make the most of family time, as well. That's why their campaign, #BeThereMoments is all about the celebration of family time and being there for the ones we love. No matter how far away we are, there's no distance far enough to stop us from coming together. #BeThereMoments is all about not letting those moments slip by. So if you're road tripping for some much needed family time, make sure your tires can survive the journey. See the Michelin man and ensure that the journey is a safe one, wherever it's taking you, whether it be to a day at the beach or off to basic training in the new car you just bought your daughter for while she's away...

Read more stories from parents like me on BeThereMoments.com!