Less pressure,
more fun with
your children
It’s an energizing idea to build fun into the whirlwind of family life, but scheduling some playtime may sound impossible.
Top priority already goes to the things that absolutely have to be accomplished -- like getting the kids off to school in the morning, fed at night, and making sure they do their homework. Next in line is transporting them to a myriad of extracurricular activities. Superimposed onto the whole picture are your own work responsibilities.
The result of this balancing act can be a sense of never-ending pressure for every member of the family. How could adding one more thing increase anyone’s energy?
The days of both parents and children are filled with tasks and obligations. For children, there are chores, homework and participation in required classes. For parents, the task list can be overwhelming; even more so for single and working parents. You may be dismayed to find yourself resenting the number of responsibilities, large and small, that parenting entails.
That’s a normal feeling – and it’s also a sure sign that it’s time to make some changes.
Caught up in the effort to get it all done, parents and kids lose touch with each other. Having fun together is a way to reconnect, and that connection is the spark that makes everything else worthwhile. When you and your children play together, you each have the precious experience of simply being enjoyed by one another.
Those moments create a bank account of positive feeling that can help every member of the family tackle their responsibilities with renewed energy.
The hardest part may be changing your mindset from, “There’s no time to play,” to “No matter what else is going on, we’re going to have some fun together!”
Once you’ve done that, the opportunities just appear, such as:
§ Having a three-minute pillow fight while you are straightening up the den.
§ Stopping to read a story together that was left on the floor.
§ Having a spelling bee where each child is asked the words from the school spelling list.
It may be counter-intuitive, but the tiredness you feel after a game of gin rummy is likely to create just the energy surge you need to greet tomorrow’s busy day with a smile.
--Fran Hendrick, M.Ed., P.C.C., is Director of Parenting Resources at Beech Acres Parenting Center, as well as a parent coach, therapist and mother of two, ages 25 and 27.