When was the last time you had some “me time”? It’s an important part of life for all of us – adults and kids – but a rare commodity these days with our busy lives. This month we’re going to take the first step towards remedying that by focusing our attention on “me time” for the entire family.
The goal is to find a way for every one in your family to have some “me time” each week. The age of your kids will direct how involved you’ll have to be with their “me time”. Some kids will need more direction than others. Some may need you there having a tad of “me time”, too, just to help capture the right mood.
For this to work, have a family meeting and agree to to a few simple rules of the road:
1. “Me time” is important for every one equally.
2. You’ll all support each other’s quest for “me time”.
3. You’ll protect each other’s “me time” and only invade it for very, very important reasons.
“Me time” can be anything from listening to music to taking a walk to finding time to have a long bubble bath and flip through a magazine you’ve wanted to read for a while. To help you get into the “me time” mood, here are some areas to focus on this month:
1. Week 1: Toss your daily routine out the window! This can be a lot of fun for everyone. We all have daily routines that can be a grind. Find a day you can shake it up and have each family member snatch some time off their “I wish I had more time to do_____________” list.
2. Week 2: Got Books! When was the last time you all sat around the couch or under a tree and read a book, or flipped through a magazine? This week, unplug the gizmos and go all paper. If all goes well, this will become a staple in your kids’ “me time” repertoire.
3. Week 3: The Quiet Spot. One of the best ways to snatch “me time” is to find a favorite quiet spot and make that your own. It can be a chair, tree, couch, alcove, oversize pillow. This week everyone in your family should seek out a quiet spot and test it out. This will bethe place for “me time” when needed. Of course, quiet spots can always change, as often as anyone would like. The concept is to seek one out and use it – make it your own and learn to use it as a place to just be by yourself in.
4. Week 4: Foster “Me Time” in your kids. Teens and older tweens may have this one nailed down already but not all. Starting as soon as kids are old enough to play independently, help your kids learn to take a few minutes just to be by themselves and enjoy what they’d like to. Initially, you may have to be in the room to make suggestions or just provide reassurance but over time each of your kids will learn how to unwind and dial down the noise we all carry around with us that we need to learn how to turn off once in a while.
While “me time” is mean to refuel each person, no reason you can’t make it a family affair if you all happen to be having your “me time” at once. In fact, for busy families, that may be the best way to ensure that everyone gets equal amounts of “me time” but with schedules not always jiving that won’t always be possible.
How will you know it’s working? Simple. You’ll have a happy and relaxed family who takes things in stride a lot more than during your pre-me time days.
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