Take Time To Have Fun

I hope you are all having a great week! As a new school year once again approaches, this tends to be a rather busy week for parents. As you rush around to shop for necessary school supplies and new clothes for your kids, it can be very stressful and frustrating. It is also when most parents begin new school routines of getting the kids up at 7 and to bed early in preparation for the following week. This can be hard for kids and parents alike.

Some parents also have their children in several activities after school. This can be a great thing to do or one that adds more stress and struggle to your weeks. In the raising of my children, I have realized that keeping the kids too busy is not always a good thing. Yes, children need other activities to help them develop social skills and learn about other interests, however too much busyness can be hard on the whole family. It is important to listen to your children when they tell you they are having a hard time coping with everything. Children, like adults, need time to read, play with their toys, play with their pets, and most of all to rest.

As parents and caregivers of these young souls, you need to make sure as well that you are taking time to rest and play. It is extremely important to model for your children that it is perfectly ok, and necessary, to take time to rest and relax. It is important to show them that when you take care of yourself, you have more love and energy to give to them. This is a great thing for our children to learn now, so they will be more productive, energetic, compassionate and loving people as they grown up.

I wish I was shown how to take care of myself when I was young. What I was shown is that in order to stay out of trouble, I had to keep busy and work hard. This was great for my younger adult years, but once I had a step family and my own son, (4 boys in total), I found that this mentality of go, go, go really wore me out. In fact, it sent me to physical and emotional exhaustion. It was so bad at many different times that it took everything I had just to get out of bed. I don't want anyone else to go through anything like this. Remember that you as a person are a sacred being, and you cannot give what you do not have. So in taking care of yourself and carving out time for you, you can be calmer and more productive when you are busy. Teach your children the same way of living. Tell them that it is ok if they don't want to take piano this year. They are listening to their bodies. Allow your children time to just be. They will be much better off in the long run as they will be more relaxed, calmer and happier. And that, my friends, is the making of a much happier household.

My prayer for you is that you have a safe and healthy week and that you are all taking care of yourselves. I pray that you are listening to your children when they talk to you and giving them your full attention. I pray that you tune in to what your body is telling you and that you honour what you are feeling. Eat better, drink lots of good water, play and get plenty of rest to help you be the best of YOU! Amen.

Have an amazing week and good luck with school next week.