As with most kids in my generation, childhood included exposure to daytime soap operas. We may not have actually taken a seat on the couch to watch them, but we probably have memories of their titles or their theme songs.

Surprisingly, one soap opera has served as an inspiration for me, in both my professional and spiritual lives. I often recall the voice of its introduction, especially when I’ve thrown away important moments: “Like the sands of the hourglass, so are the Days of Our Lives.”

The image of the hourglass with sand slipping out, beyond our control, can be a powerful reminder that our time is limited and, especially when we have children, we need to make an effort to give children what they need most—our time.

There is no doubt that today’s lifestyle, with the need for parents to work one or more jobs, and to sometimes leave young children in childcare to accommodate work schedules, is a challenge to time spent with them.

Fortunately, the times that are valuable for our children include those moments when we can talk with them and laugh with them, not just when we take them to special places.

When my youngest of six was entering fifth grade, I decided, for a variety of reasons, to move him to a different school. I chose one in the town where I was working, which required me to drive him to school and pick him up to take him home. If I kept him locally, he could have taken the bus and gotten dropped off at the corner where I live.

I felt the drive to school every morning and our drive home would add to the time I had with just him, time for talking about what happened that day, learning more about him and his school friends, stopping for something to eat or drink on the way home, all simple things that were invaluable to our relationship.

When he entered high school and could finally drive, he would call me on days when they got out early and ask if I wanted to go out for lunch. We had something that was nurtured in fifth grade and has continued throughout adulthood—conversations.

Conversations can happen in the kitchen while preparing dinner together and cleaning up together, they happen on the way to sports or music or cheerleading. With young children, they happen during the important moments of bedtime and reading together and talking about a story.

With my grandchildren I have found that folding laundry, doing puzzles and being involved in an activity that relates to my work, writing, or Pop’s work, carpentry, are times of great conversations. They love to talk about what they like to do or give suggestions on how they would run a business like Pop’s if they had one (I’ve written a few of them down!), and particularly what they will do with the money they make, which opens the door for some talk about the value of saving money.

Of course, sitting around the dinner table together is an invaluable time for family discussions. It’s also a wonderful time for a simple shared moment of Grace, and a time to remind your children that you pray for them without ceasing, especially when you cannot be together.

It’s important for us, as parents, to not get discouraged if we feel time is limited with our children. There are still many unscripted and spontaneous moments in which they can feel our presence and know they are loved.