Things seem to amp up a bit this time of year with fall festivals planned and fundraisers of one kind or another and Halloween parties and activities and lots of fall birthday parties and holy cow, is that Thanksgiving on next month?s calendar page?
The attempt to keep things slow and steady rather than reactive and riotous is definitely the goal. And as the kids get a bit older, I must admit, this slow and steady is a bit less in my control and pushed against a little more by certain members in my house.
Just this weekend my child-who-shall-remain-unnamed said to me, ?You want to have time at home but I just want to hang out with my friends.? So we made a deal ? one that I think will work for all of us. 2-3 days each month we will have FAMILY MEMBERS ONLY marked on the calendar. Planned ahead of time so as to give everyone fair warning and not necessarily for an entire day though I reserve the right to claim it as such if I want to but I might be willing to concede to a late afternoon hang out at the house with friends. ?Ideally I?d choose 4 days each month ? one day each weekend- but I?m willing to meet them halfway on this. And on the weekends that we don?t have family-only time, I will have one day reserved as car-free for me ? meaning that I will not drive anyone, anywhere. So if they want to make plans with friends, the friends can either come over or they will figure out their own transportation.
While building family connection is part of the goal, encouraging everyone to find some sort of comfort level in just hanging out at home is definitely part of it too. I want my kids to feel that sometimes just sinking into the scene at home is not only okay but actually desirable. And yet I am fully aware of the fact that repression breeds obsession, meaning if I force them to stay home all the time, they will resent it. Oh, this give and take is such a fine line to walk and this idea of finding some sort of slow is a balancing act that requires constant calibrating. But putting it on the calendar surely helps.
Like spinning plates. ?And again I say a three-day weekend sure would be helpful.
How do you make it work in your house? Do you have any tools to help you make sure that you and your family keep it all in balance?
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Tags: finding your family's slow, how to keep it slow this time of year, keeping it slow, slow family living, slow holidays, Slow movement, slow parentingSource: http://slowfamilyliving.com/2012/10/members-only/
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