The other day, I went into my trusty calendar to plot out all the lessons, special events, etc. from now until December. I’m sure all you other parents out there have done the same and found your calendar incredibly full already. How can little beings in our world take up so much of our time? But they do because we also want them to be introduced to as many experiences as possible.
But do we ever schedule down time? I know that our family has and it has helped us tremendously in decreasing our stress levels. For example, my kids actually go to 6 days of school (5 days of regular school and ½ day on Saturdays for Chinese school). That would be a lot for me let alone a little person. After Chinese school, there is nothing but fun. We tend to stay home on Saturdays so that the kids can roam the house, find activities that they want to do, or just hang out with mom and dad doing a quiet activity. I find that one kid tends to go to her room, sit and read, then play with her stuffed animals. The second kid wanders to her computer, plays in her big cardboard box and maybe watches some tv. If it’s nice, we’ll go out and blow bubbles, ride our bikes or just walk down to the local store to get a slurpee. Sometimes, we just watch a silly movie with popcorn and treats about.
I know it may seem silly to plan down time. But if you don’t plan it, some other event, duty, chore will have to take that time slot. Everybody needs down time, especially the little ones. Though these down periods are not rocket science lessons, we are teaching them a life lesson that taking time for themselves is ok and extremely healthy. And in the short term, everybody seems to be much happier and ready to take on the next day.
So don’t be shy and plan down time. It’s good for the whole family.
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