Happy X-Day!

It’s catching on. I typed “Ready, Set, Relax” into the Google bar and clicked (search news). I was hoping to find a feature on the Ridgewood, N.J., night Monday. Instead I got lucky and found a teeny tiny brief on the Akron Beacon-Journal website. It said March 14 was Ready-Set-Relax night in Hudson, Ohio.

Hudson Community First centers its efforts on the 40 Developmental Assets put forth by the Search Institute in Minneapolis. As HCF was reactivating a few years back, a volunteer put forth an idea she brought with her after living in New Jersey. HCF was all for such an effort to help families recognize the power they have over scheduling. Then I got really lucky and got my questions answered.

After learning as much as they could from Marcia Marra in New Jersey, organizers started with the Hudson City School District. “The superintendent jumped right on board,” one said. “Then we contacted various youth organizations … anything from soccer to football to the music association … to get them on board.”

Over the past three years they continued to cultivate these relationships, bring in more partners (including the private schools in the area) and this year Hudson was up to more than 30 different organizations that support their Ready-Set-Relax effort. “Not only youth organizations,” she said, “But two of the business organizations endorsed it this year. Some of them are starting to look at possibly trying to promote it in their own businesses, too. For example, if you come in as a family for dinner that night you get dessert free.”

And while Ready-Set-Relax has been embraced in Hudson, Ohio, (64 percent of respondents to last year’s after-survey said they were looking at making changes in their life after participating) change has its challenges.

“The first year I had people call me and say: ‘What are we supposed to do? Where are we supposed to go? Everyone is so oriented to an event or an activity,” one organzier said. “And I would say, ‘Well, whatever you want to do.’ And they would say, ‘Like what?’” She would offer ideas such as take a walk, rent a movie or go out to dinner, just do it together, then she would add, “It just gives you an opportunity to not have outside distractions and … I hate to say this … but it gives you permission to do it.

“We’re trying to empower parents so that they know its OK to say ‘I’m sorry. My kid can’t participate in that tonight.’ Not just to say it on Ready-Set-Relax night, but to know its OK to say that when you just need time together. That can be a hard thing.”

The woman from Hudson talked about a treadmill … the one we all get on when the to-do list is crammed, the kids are cranky and there’s nothing in the fridge and nowhere you can agree on to go out to eat and … aNd … AND! It’s going to take time to get my packet in the mail from New Jersey. It’s going to take time to get in with the school board. It takes nothing to pull down my calendar and put an X across one weekend day. I think I’ll write “Family BBQ” across the X and plan a special menu.

As for this weekend, The Lady Third Grade is in charge of menu plans. And I need to get back to cleaning house before the bus brings them home. But first that calendar … X marks the spot … what will you cook on X-day?