Family Friday

Welcome to inspiring Family Friday... it's going to be AWESOME.

I realize that I have young kids and that the days of them being excited to spend time with Mom and Dad are limited.  Consequently, my hubba-hubba- Hubbie and I have long forgotten our old Friday night dinners out together in favor of family time.  It's important to us and it's important to our kids, especially Sean.  Sammie's much more flexible... she finds ways to get her "Momma/Dadda Time" daily so a missed Family Night doesn't bother her as much.

As a child, my parents would sometimes make home made pizzas, pull out the sofa bed and we'd all stay up late and watch SNL (it was the 80's...) and Sha-Na-Na.  When Sean was quite young (2 maybe?) we started watching kid movies on Friday nights... he'd usually fall asleep halfway through and want to continue it in the morning (first thing!).  So we took to the habit of pulling out the couch, snuggling and watching the movie.  As soon as he fell asleep, we'd pause the movie and watch something on TV we were  more into (like NCIS or CSI).  In the morning, we'd all wake up and turn the movie back on. 

I got smart... the sofa SUCKS to sleep on and I'd be achy on Saturdays.  As Sammie got to be older, she and I would go watch a "girly" movie (I'm talking "Ella Enchanted" or "Barbie's Christmas Carol").  We'd sleep in the "comfy" bed... and Steve would be grumpy on Saturdays.

Believe it or not... we're still doing this almost 8 years later (although, Steve and I have managed to extricate ourselves from the couch sleeping part)!  In fact, over Christmas break Sean slept almost exclusively on the pulled out couch and Sammie in the love seat.  Yes, it was Christmas break since my children attend a Catholic school and yes, we're moderately indulgent.  My kids have clear and fond memories of our time together.  They have a consistent knowledge that whatever happens that week, we have out time together.  And on rare occasion, with extremely horrid behavior (on my children's part), we've cancelled sleeping on the couch-- but not family time.  Honestly, it's the absolute WORST punishment in my house.  Can you imagine growing up thinking the worst thing that could happen was not getting to sleep on the couch?! 

What's most important is in this story is... the first day back at school after the break one of Sean's classmates said, right in front of the teacher and me, "Hey, Sean, remember when you told me your mom is awesome?  Well, she pretty much is..." 

WOW!  What?!  Some kid I hardly know (he's only been in the school this year) has heard my son BRAG about my awesomeness on the playground!  I was shocked and if the teacher hadn't been there to say, "WOW!"  I'm pretty sure I would have convinced myself that I had imagined it.  Oh and might I add... the young boy's name... Jesus!  Yes, I can now claim... Jesus said I'm awesome.  [Yes, I know the name is pronounced "Hey- Zeus" but it looks good in print... and I think the other Jesus thinks I'm neat too.  After all... he DIED for my sins!]

 It's these little traditions... not the big trips to Disney (yes, those are fun) that the kids will really place the foundations of their families on.  See... I had fun at Disney, but it was just a few days... home made pizzas and sleeping on the couch and just being  with my family as a child has made a much more lasting impression.

As I move on, I hope to share what we're doing on Friday nights or what we plan to do with you.  If your kids are young... it will be easy to implement some of my ideas... if your kids are older... well... good luck!  I'm kidding... you'll just have to engage them in other ways and I do have some ideas for that as well.  What have special things have you done in your family to make family time a big deal?  What do you think your kids will "brag" to their friends about you?  I'm betting you're pretty darn awesome, too!