Family Tradition

A little family tradition that we started at dinner time is "best part of the day". As parents we all know that there are rough days and kids have rough days too. This reminds us all to think of the highlights of our day instead of the negative. This brings the focus back to the good! I love it. When we are all sitting around the dinner table someone starts it "Best part of the day ____, GO!" and the person who's name is in the blank starts with their favorite part of the day. We do this, until our whole table has had a chance to have a turn. We even include Luca even though he's not fully able to verbalize, he laughs or does something silly and then we respond with "oh that's great" or "oh that sounds like a great day" then giggles start from the other kids because we all know that no one has any idea what he said.

Sometimes we can't think of one best part and have a few! Other times when someone is really thinking, we'll say something like "what about doing ___?" then they say something about that not being it and fill in the blank with something else. It takes the focus off of people not eating or throwing food and onto something fun instead. It's something the kids and our family look forward to each evening. It gives us a chance to really hear what's important to them. Often times I think they'll say one thing and they pick something completely different. It's a fun way to get to know what they love most and what matters to them, it really allows their personality to shine through. It also allows us as parents to think about how different they each are and what makes them tick.

Last night, I sat on the couch after working. All of the kids were fast asleep (that's the toughest part about having long shifts, missing them all day). Ryan was watching TV. He stopped the TV as I was working on homework and said "Best part of the day, GO!" and I told him finishing my paper before work. It brought a conversation about me going to school and my grades and such. His favorite part of his day was picking up the kids and making a great dinner. In the midst of the madness of our life, it was nice to take a little break and think of the good. I encourage you to take time to think about the best parts of your day!