I spent a couple of hours with a friend of mine and his 4yr old son at the soccer stadium this week. Seeing the joy on both of their faces, being father and son together, gave me so much hope for parents like you.

Remember, your best and worst moments don't define you. It's ok for most days to be normal.

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Spend time with your kids this weekend

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about 2 simple things you can do over your 20+ years as a parent that are foolproof ways to stay close to your kids.

Keep your hands on your sons.
Keep your hearts near your daughters.

Boys need physical affection ... even if they don't know it.
Girls need emotional affection ... and they definitely know it.

Today, as you head into the weekend, I wanted to send you a slingshot.

Maybe this can be a push start for you to connect with one (or all of your kids) in the next few days.

Here are 17 ways you can have a hands-and-hearts weekend.

1. Pile together and read a book. Whether it's Dr. Suess or JK Rowling, sit close and read some pages out loud.

2. Hold hands when you walk. A one-minute walk from the car to the store is a simple way to connect.

3. Sit and play with their favorite toys for half an hour. Give them your undivided attention so you can laugh and play together.

4. Tell an "I remember when I was your age" story. Sharing a challenge you faced or a funny memory reminds them you were a kid once too.

5. Wild jumping on the trampoline. Help them burn off that endless kid energy with some crazy bouncing and wrestling.

6. Sing songs full-out together in the car or living room. Grab that Disney playlist and Let It Go.

7. Ask them to help you fix part of a meal. The kitchen has always been a central part of family life and kids love to help mom and dad.

8. Take an extra long time to brush their hair. You do know that most girls love to talk when their hair is being combed right?

9. Get dessert together, but make it one-on-one. It's amazing what 45 minutes and some sugar can do for a relationship.

10. Take them to a movie, sporting event, zoo, or show. Still a classic because kids love every minute of it.

11. Push them on the swings. Maybe not your 12yr old but swings are as good a hands-and-heart activity as there is.

12. Include them in a home-repair project. Give them a small role or have them help measure twice before you cut once.

13. Drive thru and get food then eat in the park. There is a reason we still feel nostalgia as adults about family time in the park.

14. Help get some reps and practice their current sport. Don't over-do the coaching but enjoy watching them throw or kick the ball.

15. Sit down and play their favorite video game for 45min. It's 100% ok to be bad at a game when your kid gets to show you up and talk trash.

16. Grab the coloring book you gave them for Christmas. You have a drawer full of potential art projects waiting to be used.

17. Ask for the high-low of the week during dinner on the weekend. Everyone gets to share the best and worst parts of their week.

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One of those days

From Parent Cue​

In case When one of your days as a mom or dad goes sideways soon, here are four ways you can salvage a bad parenting day.

1. Acknowledge it. Acknowledging the truth brings it out into the open and relieves the tension everyone is experiencing.
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2. Switch the location. As soon as you realize you're caught in a bad-parenting-day cycle, get out of whatever environment you're in. A change of scenery is powerful in switching up the mood.
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3. Apologize. Asking our kids to forgive us is one of the most powerful acts of modeling we can do as parents.
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4. Laugh. Finding humor together reduces the stress and lightens the heaviness of an off day.