LAST WORD
Want a Healthier
Family Life?
Consider These Good Habits
BY KATHRYN STREETER
A temptation to turn weeknight
dinners into moments of inter-
rogation, putting kids on the
defense. Instead, think of this as
a quick time of debriefing before
they split to get homework done.

After all, we want them to will-
ingly show up. Dr. Samantha
Boardman, a clinical instructor
in psychiatry, describes it well:
“Dinner together should come
as a welcome break to punctuate
your day and not a dreaded chore
or additional source of stress.”
Chilling out around the dinner
table, even for 15-minutes, and
1. Reconsider: Many
allowing organic conversation to
of these activities are
happen will put your kids at ease building blocks for developing a
actually optional
Very often, school notices are and increase the likelihood they’ll true talent,” she says.

In short, we’ll need to protect
invitations. As kids grow, par- enjoy time together with you.

our growing kids from exces-
ents should incrementally step And that’s no small thing.

sive busyness to provide them
back to be less present in their
bandwidth to explore hobbies
academic world. Sorry, but your 3. Learn to love our kids’
and interests. They may have our
child will outgrow the thrill of passions and encourage
DNA, but the best parenting will
seeing you in school halls! But their pursuits
surely, we may say, sporting Mine has grown to be a food- allow them space to be who they
events are different, requiring ie. Food and nutrition interests are, a completely different person,
any supportive parent to be in him so much so that I solicit his not mini versions of ourselves.

the bleachers 100 percent of input for meal planning. This
the time. Sports psychologist surprising development, one I 4. Take walks together
Dr. Richard D. Ginsburg, how- couldn’t have anticipated, has On walks, life slows down, giving
ever, pushes back, noting that put us side-by-side in the kitchen, way to spontaneous conversa-
continually bending the family experimenting with new foods tion. It could be walking the dog
together or parking a few blocks
calendar to accommodate the and recipes.

sports schedule communicates In the U.S. News & World from our destination to enjoy the
that kids are “playing for us and Report, Dr. Gail Saltz highlights fresh air, blue sky and general pub-
the dangers of micro-managing lic life on the sidewalk. The point
not for themselves.”
the direction your kids take. is, to step away from our screens
“Children who are oversched- and be in the company of our
2. Even during the
uled tend to feel highly stressed blossoming children no matter
busiest seasons, sit
and have no mental energy if conversation happens or not
down and dine together
This alone requires resolve, left for exploration, curiosity will always take us forward
but go further and avoid the and creative thinking, the very relationally — and, physically.

46 WashingtonFAMILY APRIL 2019
In Prevention Magazine,
authors Sari Harrar and Erin
Verkler point out the impor-
tance of an ordinary walk. They
mention the multitude of health
benefits including inciden-
tal calorie-burning effects and
relieving the mind of stress and
depression. So don’t hesitate: Go
on a walk with your family!
This unwieldy thing called
time which we see rapidly com-
ing and going, week after week,
isn’t going to change. But we can.

Deciding to establish healthy
parameters and fresh rhythms in
our homes will help create a more
connected family life. It may also
provide a memorable picture
of health and happiness for our
kids to imitate when they are
out of the house, managing their
own homes. ■
Kathryn Streeter is a D.C.-based
mom and blogger.

ILLUSTRATION BY: TALIA GREENBERG-HUDGINS
re you looking at your
calendar shaking your
head, wondering, how
did this happen? It’s an ongoing
challenge, to set boundaries so
that the oxygen in our homes
isn’t sucked dry by the endless
stream of obligations, events and
invitations creating exhaustion
and unhappiness. Perhaps busy-
ness, one of modern-day families’
greatest enemies, can be beaten
back by resolving to make chang-
es in our approach and practices.