Our Favorite Saturday Morning “Special Time” Spots in Miami

Saturday morning “special time” with my 5-year old son is a highlight of my week.  This tradition started several months ago, when we realized he was having a hard time adjusting to life with his baby sister.  My constant attention and affection were his for 4 years; and then I brought this little bundle home from the hospital who required almost everything I had to give.  Oh, and he started going to school for the first time.  His little world was rocked in a way he never expected.

“Special time” is when the two of us leave Baby Sister at home with Daddy, and go do something fun!  We’ve done a variety of things together; but regardless of what we do, or how short a window of time we have, we always have a great time.  It does require a little bit of planning. 

Here are some things I’ve learned along the way about how to maximize this little tradition of ours:

Intentional & Consistent Time

I need to be intentional and make the special time we spend together a priority.  Stuff always threatens to get in the way… even my own lack of motivation.  But it’s one of those things I never regret, despite the effort that it often takes just to get out of the house.  Right now, it’s relatively easy to pull this off every week; but when the baby gets older, I’ll need to figure out how to put her into the rotation.  Whatever the interval is, it needs to be something we can both count on, as much as our schedule allows.  Sometimes it might mean saying no to another Saturday activity; but it communicates that I value my time with him, and that he doesn’t need to seek my attention in negative ways.  

Time To Be Present

This one is hard, isn’t it?  I mean, the phone is Exhibit A.  Even if I’m using it to take photos to text to Daddy (or for my next blog post, ha!), I risk missing out on the delight of listening to one of his stories, or joining him on one of his imaginative play adventures.  I want him to know, deep in his soul, that he is important and can always share things with me.  

Timely “Spontaneity”

With really young children, there’s only so much spontaneity I can practice.  However, I can give options, and let him make decisions about how the two of us can spend our time.  Confession: I’m usually scouring Munchkin Fun, Miami On The Cheap, or the Miami-Dade Public Library pages right before he gets up.  When he does wake up, I usually have a couple of options that he gets to choose from.

Some of our favorite “dates” include banana pancakes at Jimmy’s Eastside Diner, Crandon Park Beach, Beach View Park (at 53rd St & Collins), Greynolds Park, Chick-Fil-A, the indoor play area at International Mall, Starbucks, HistoryMiami, and visiting the Mobile Library when it comes to Morningside Park.  Tomorrow, we’re planning to get some of our favorite muffins from Whole Foods, and then go to Fisher Park (at 50th St & Alton).

What are some of your favorite things to do with your kids in your part of town?