Being an intentional parent in this fast-paced day and age has never more been crucial. And why not? We all want to make the best choices for our relationships, homes, and careers. Parenting should also be a facet of life that we view–and live out–with intention. Basically, this means having mapping out a clear purpose for why we parent a certain way, living this purpose out, and taking a step back to reflect on this intentional lifestyle.

In short, being an intentional parent is being deliberate about parenting. This can mean several things to different parents since no two families are alike. But generally, intentional parenting means connecting with our children so that we can bring them up in accordance with our family’s innate values and principles, practically and in spirit.

You can be more intentional in your parenting by putting certain steps in place. To begin with, start with these three.

1. Deliberately make time to parent your kids.

Consider what your your family setup looks like and identify the times when you can deliberately connect with your kids. If you’re a working mom, this may be after dinner time when you get home from the office. If you’re a work-at-home mom, this could mean setting aside time within your work schedule to read and play with your child. If you’re a mom of babies, you might want to give your baby a massage each night while singing him a song. For older children, this could mean a Saturday morning breakfast date, with just the two of you. The point is to make these moments with your kids meaningful, purposeful, something that you and your child hold sacred.

2. Shut off all distractions.

This is especially important to the aspiring intentional parent! Sometimes the TV, the iPad, our smartphones can get in the way of our time with our kids. Think about it: How many times have you nodded, “Yes, that’s nice” to your kid excitedly showing your his latest artwork because you were busy glued to the latest episode of Modern Family? Train yourself to tune out these distractions. When your kid comes up to you wanting your attention, give it to him in full. You may feel distracted, half-hearted, or hurried at first, but training yourself to shut out the things that compete for your child’s attention will not just be good for your relationship with your child– it’ll also be good for your soul.

3. Seek to delight your child.

What makes your child happy? Discover it for yourself and connect with your child through that.  It could mean five minutes of reading with your toddler, or playing peek-a-boo with your baby. What may seem trivial to  you is a big deal for your young child, so be all there. Remember, what matters to your child is that you are connecting with him then and there.

How do you connect with your child? Is your parenting as intentional as you’d want it to be?