Have you heard about the "Slow Family Living Movement?" I think it's brilliant.
Check out their website.
This is their manifesto:
The Slow Family Movement is a revolution in the way we think about, embrace and implement family living.
It was born out of our belief that family life is being hijacked by society’s messages that more is better, faster is greater and that you and your children are at risk of being left behind, unless you buy in NOW.
It is about allowing family life to unfold in a way that is joyfully and consciously connected. This means slowing it down, finding comfort in the home, and creating the space to see and honor the family as an entity, while simultaneously keeping sight of each member as a unique and valuable individual.
We believe that family life can serve as the incubator for deeper compassion, creativity, love, harmony, humor, appreciation, respect, fun, ingenuity, conflict resolution, peace, friendship, growth, communication and, perhaps above all else, true, unending and powerful joy.
As we intentionally give value and space to family life, we are thereby creating a force — with a sum greater than its parts — that can then flow out into the local and the global communities.
We hold this as truth, that the peace and the harmony we want to exist within the world, can be created within the family first, by bringing it home and lovingly, consciously and intentionally slowing life down.
Granted, it's tempting to get sucked into over scheduling our children and feeling that we need to keep up with the Joneses. But if it's tearing our families apart psychologically and financially, it's worth considering.
What do you think??
17 comments:
Thanks for the link. While we are both in Austin, TX now, we are totally proud of our Jersey roots! We'll be in Jersey this summer and we are looking forward to bringing Slow Family Living up there with us.
Bernadette Noll
I agree. My children are both grown and gone, so I can sit back and watch now ;-) I have noticed that many, many families over-schedule. I mean one and even two things every evening. I think it is def a competition. People want their children to be the best and do the most so they have them involved in everything. Truth be told - if your child is gonna be the star athlete, he|she will be the star even if he doesn't start sports at age 4!! If your child is gonna be the valedictorian, he|she will be even if he isn't being privately tutored at age 10 just so he can know more, etc. It's almost to the point of ridiculous.
i only allow 2 activities per year so we're doing something 2x a week, 3x tops-and really i am pushing for nothing next year.
i didn't start sports until 5th grade and then i just did ONE thing. my friend's kids are in soccer every day after school and on weekends. i think it's fucking nuts. i mean- why not have some time to be a fucking kid? movies? Hanging? she makes me tired.
Actually, my first thought was to smile at the contrast of a caffeine-fueled tennis player advocating a slower pace. But I do agree.
btw, I found your new mug.
;-)
I totally agree and really feel that activities, sports and other things take control of everyone's lives. I limit my kids to one sport and one other activity so there is still quality family time together.
I couldn't agree more with this! We limit the activities to one per year. We are letting Lovebug have two after school activities in the fall for the first time ever and I'm anxious to see how that goes.
I also believe in one or two activities for kids per season/semester/whatever. I used to know a mom who had their 2 year old in FIVE activities, a different one every day of the week. Mon dieu!
totally believe in this!!
This is how I do things. Kyle does a spring sport (if HE wants to) and then a fall sport. Even if he wanted to do more, I wouldn't let him. Mostly because I am lazy. lol. But I do think that a slow pace is good. You gotta have time to just "be".
Brava! I totally agree!
This is something I've been thinking about for a while. My little one is under 2 but I want our family time to continue to be a big part of our lives. We've stopped eating out as much to stay home and just be. Someone asked me about putting him in preschool...which I am...but only for two days a week for 2.5 hours. My child has 12 years to be in school....I'm not rushing hime at the age of 2.
He might not read first or count the highest as the next child but he'll know he's loved and his parents loved being/playing with him. He'll be what he is without being a "wonder" child as far as I'm concerned. :)
AMEN
I think I like any movement that supports me sitting on my bottom in an adirondack chair, reading a book and watching my girls play together in the pond.
Seriously though, we've kept the girls to one or two activities each ever since the year E was four and I had her in ballet, tap, gymnastics and art class. It was crazy.
My opinion?
There is always a happy medium.
As much as I would LOVE to stay home and not be driving here or there all the time, I do believe that busy kids are happy and stay out of trouble.
I am not talking over-scheduled kids. And some kids love a fast paced life and other can be stressed by it...
But, ( I am going to pull rank here) being the mother of 5, ages 24 to 12, I am talking busy, not bored.
So far, ( knock on wood) my kids have been pretty good and I attribute that to A LOT of sports, CCD, scouts and, of course, family time.
Happy medium folks, that's all I'm saying.
Amen. Done preaching.
I had one child that would have loved slow living and one child that had one activity that snowballed into an everyday activity that became her passion. All you can do is try and give each child what they need.
Very interesting idea.
I have been feeling this lately....we just hung around the house yesterday, TV was off, it was such a nice feeling to do nothing! Landon loved it too! It really felt like a vacation!
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