When you become a parent, you know that it is your job to take care of your child throughout their life stages. There’s a lot of pressure to raise your kids ‘right’, whether you’re helping them grow in their first year or getting them through the harder teen years. This is crucial if you have more than one child. Many couples have kids close in age, but some parents are raising kids who have a wide age gap.

As a parent, you want to make sure your kids are cared for and loved in the best way for them. Children close in age can often do the same things and go through the same stages of life together. When your kids aren’t close in age, you sometimes have to do different age-appropriate activities with the child who is interested in other things. It can be a challenge, but you’ll feel good about yourself that you are satisfying the needs of all your children. Here are some tips for parents of kids who are of different ages and in different stages.

Take An Interest In Everyone’s Hobbies

This is actually a good point to make about parenting any child, no matter what their age or the age gap, it’s crucial that you spend time being interested and taking note of what everyone is doing and where their individual passions lie.

You might have a toddler who loves dinosaurs and a teenager who wants to play guitar or enjoys video games. Perhaps it’s the other way around! Try to pay attention and be as interested as you can, and help each individual get the most out of their hobby.

Spend One-On-One Time With Them

If one of your kids is going through a time in life that needs a little more attention than usual, your other child may sometimes feel left out. Stop this in its tracks by giving each of your children time on their own. Plan something special for the two of you to do once a month or go on a date once a month.

This can bond with the hobbies we mentioned above, or it might be something completely different. Perhaps you’ll take your kids to see a movie, but because of their age gap, you’ll probably see different films with each one. You might spend some time shopping for a great smart mattress with the older one and getting a new bike for the younger one. As long as they have your undivided attention, it doesn’t really matter.

Remember You’re Going To Have Two Separate Experiences

When you’re raising two kids at the same time, you may feel like you’re reaching different milestones and enjoying different seasons at the same time. But raising children who are in very different stages of life may feel like you’ve done it before — because you have, so you got this! As a parent, it’s up to you to get ready for the same things to happen again in a few years.

You should also remember that your kids are not the same as you. You might have children who grow up at different rates or who need extra help in different ways. Parenting is all about being there for your kids and nurturing them in whatever ways they need you. Be ready to have different wonderful experiences with each of your children.