There are two critical times of interaction with your wife each day. They are the times are when you say goodbye in the morning and hello in the evening. While both take only moments, I consider them to be real tone-setters for the day.

Mornings are typically characterized by frantic preparations. We wake up from a dead sleep, rush to shower, shave, eat, and get out the door on time. During the school year, our morning routine includes herding our children through the same process, often while facing resistance.

I find it to be incredibly important to take even just a few moments before Alison leaves the house to stop what I'm doing and say goodbye for the day. While we're awake for 15 or even 18 hours, most of those hours are spent apart. In order to keep my day moving in the right direction, I want to press pause, and make sure Alison and I have a proper goodbye.

I read an article once about the importance of a parent stopping everything to greet their spouse when they come home. The article wanted parents to show their children, through this simple act, that nothing was more important or valued than one's spouse. I think the premise is a good one. Just as taking a moment or two in the morning is important, greeting each other at the end of the day can be just as precious. It's a nice reminder of the importance of one another. We are made for work, but more importantly, we're made for each other. Now that Benedict's walking, sometimes I even open the safety gate and let him toddle over to greet Alison when she comes in the door.

Schedules shift and we all have deadlines for getting out the door and on our way. I hope that you'll make time at the beginning and end of each day to properly say goodbye and hello, and in that way, reaffirm your importance to one another.

Tags: Communication