In my work as a family therapist, I have seen the good results that come to families who have learned to lovingly give gifts of time rather than gifts of substance.
In the functional family, the parents are very aware of the impact that they have on their children. Think of your children as a human blackboard. It is like they are standing in front of you, holding up their little personal blackboard, and saying to you 'write on it what you think of me', or 'write on it what you would like me to think of myself.' This is so powerful. You can have such an impact on your children by what you write on their blackboard.