so not my thing

If I don't read Wednesday I am unlikely to make it through. Public speaking is so not my thing. If it were, would I blog? heehee Anyway, here's what I'm working on for the district Wellness Committee. I have no idea what to expect, but I'm going to go for it.

Since leaving my full-time job in 1999 I’ve worked a bit from home as a freelance writer, but an assignment last year fueled a new fire within me. So in September, 2006, I embarked on a quest. It was my hope that, by putting our regular family mealtime habits into words, I might help other parents create a healthier lifestyle for their families. I started my blog, Table Is Set, on Family Day, which is sponsored by CASA as an effort to improve parents’ understanding of the value of family mealtime, especially as it relates to alcohol and substance abuse in young people. Since starting the blog I’ve discovered several agencies promoting a return to family mealtime. I’ve also discovered this: That fewer than one third of American children partake in regular family meals is a symptom of the larger problem.

While many people site a dislike for cooking as the reason they don’t share family meals, many more site a lack of time. Soon I found two communities working to shine a light on the underlying problem of over-scheduling. A trendy media topic five years ago, you hear less about it these days, though the problem still exists. Each March, Ridgewood, N.J., and Hudson, Ohio, celebrate Ready, Set, Relax! … a homework-free, sports-free, activity-free night for families to spend together. I’m hoping today is the first step in scheduling such a night for families in our district. I’m hoping together we can gather support from elected and religious officials as well as local athletic associations and businesses.

Both Ridgewood and Hudson have found a high participation rate; a near unanimous desire among participants to make Ready, Set, Relax! an annual event; a commitment from as many as 38-64 percent of participants to permanently alter their over-scheduled ways; and an ever-broadening support from the community. So I’m asking for your help in helping our kids reap the rewards of just being. So many parents have so many outside distractions that they might not realize its OK to just be together. A night off such as Ready, Set, Relax! might permit parents, might empower parents to say “Sorry. Johnny can’t do that tonight. We’ve got family plans.” It can be a hard thing to do. But sometimes a little nudge is all it takes to start down a new path.

Experts say rituals such as family meals are critical to our children’s emotional health. Traditions such as family trips help them understand that they matter to the people around them. Empty hours encourage imagination and independence, giving kids a chance to create their own happiness and discover who they really are. And, while there are so many amazing opportunities for our children to play sports, perform on stage or do public service projects, relationships are what children need most and what they will remember most as they grow older. So I hope we can look at the 2007-2008 school year and put an X on the first annual night off in our district.