We are not able financially to take long car trips or get into expensive hobbies, like skiing. Could you suggest some simple traditions that will appeal to small children?
Answer You don’t have to spend huge amounts of money to have a meaningful family life. Children love the most simple, repetitive kinds of activities. They want to be read the same stories hundreds of times and to hear the same jokes long after they’ve heard the punch lines. These interactions with parents are often more fun than expensive toys or special events. A friend of mine once asked his grown children what they remembered most fondly from their childhoods. Was it the vacations they took together or the trips to Disney World or the zoo? No, they told him. It was when he would get on the floor and wrestle with the four of them. They would gang-tackle the “old man” and laugh until their sides hurt. That’s the way children think. The most meaningful activities within families are often those that focus on that which is spontaneous and personal. This is why you can’t buy your way out of parenting responsibilities, though many have tried. Busy and exhausted mothers and fathers, especi
You don’t have to spend huge amounts of money to have a meaningful family life. Children love the most simple, repetitive kinds of activities. They want to be read the same stories hundreds of times and to hear the same jokes long after they’ve heard the punch lines. These interactions with parents are often more fun than expensive toys or special events. A friend of mine once asked his grown children what they remembered most fondly from their childhoods. Was it the vacations they took together or the trips to Disney World or the zoo? No, they told him. It was when he would get on the floor and wrestle with the four of them. They would gang-tackle the “old man” and laugh until their sides hurt. That’s the way children think. The most meaningful activities within families are often those that focus on that which is spontaneous and personal. This is why you can’t buy your way out of parenting responsibilities, though many have tried. Busy and exhausted mothers and fathers, especially th
