Savoring Time with Family: Making a Plan to Do It
Tate just graduated from kindergarten. It’s going by fast, y’all! Every once in a while, I like to step back with Matt and ask, “Are we savoring time with family enough?”
I put together a little template in case it’s a helpful way for anyone to organize their thinking.
Here are my own responses to the questions in the template…
Our Daily Activities that Support Savoring Time with Family
- Family dinner: We try to eat dinner together as a family every night. We try not to have any toys at the table (for the children) or phones (for the adults). Dinner doesn’t last very long, but we are all there together to reconnect after our day apart.
- Swimming: Matt initially didn’t want us to take out a loan to build a pool in our backyard, but now he is glad he acquiesced! We live in a hot climate with a hot Spring, Summer, and Fall. Our family spends nearly every single afternoon in our backyard around the pool.
- Bedtime: Sometimes I wish I could skip the bedtime routine altogether (and on pedicure and massage nights I do!). But most nights I try to savor the one-on-one conversation and tickle time. I need to get myself into a better mental space about this time. This article is a great reminder.
- Reducing Scheduled Activities: Even though my children are 8 years-old and nearly 6 years-old, they still don’t have a ton of scheduled/structured activities. They participate in a Saturday wilderness school seven times a year. Otherwise, it’s unstructured playtime at home. The book Simplicity Parenting really impacted my thinking on this front. This also means that Matt and I try to reduce our work-related activities. It sometimes means I look like a bad leader (like when I don’t join the after school book club about culturally responsive teaching). But I have to protect that time with my family, especially because there are still a ton of mandatory things that take me away from them.
Our Weekly Activities that Support Savoring Time with Family
- Friday Night Dinner: Every Friday night, we go out to eat as a family. We set a budget for ourselves, so it limits which restaurants we can go to, but it’s always fun. I love coming together as a family.
- Adventures: I start to lose my mind if we just stay at home every weekend. I need to get out and do something! Sometimes it’s something big like driving to a little town outside of Austin. Other times it’s on a smaller scale like going to a creek or the lake.
Our Monthly Activities
- Something for the Kids: Every once in a while, we try to make sure we are doing something specifically for the kids, like going to a movie that Matt and I wouldn’t normally want to see.
Our Yearly Activities
- Frequent Vacations: Our family is at our best when we are traveling together. I think the change of pace does us all good. I’m at my best for several reasons. First, I love planning and exploring new places. It bring me great joy to find an off-the-beaten path and to try it out with my family. Second, I’m usually taking a break from work (as much as possible) so I am more present and attentive. We squirrel away money all year long in order to prioritize taking a vacation during Spring Break, Summer Break, Fall Break, and Thanksgiving Break. I still need to figure out when to fit in our Gap Year!
What are your strategies for savoring time with family? I’d love to hear additional ideas!