Friday, March 18, 2011

Parent's Top Ten List #1 - Have Fun!


We have reached the summit – the top suggestion on our annual Parent's Top Ten list (available here). The number one suggestion for parents for 2011 is “Have more fun and more fun together.”

Each day I receive “Notes from the Universe” from Totally Unique Thoughts. Based on the concept that “thoughts become things…choose the good ones,” the notes are inspirational and typically funny. Today’s was no different. “For millenniums, Maggie, the path to enlightenment has been made up of many steps. Most commonly, it begins with festering misunderstandings that lead to pain, the pain then leads to growth, growth leads to clarity, clarity leads to fun, fun leads to joy, and joy leads to true illumination. May I recommend skipping to the fun part?”

Fun unites. Maybe we can create a new word – funited. We are united in fun and by fun!

Research is showing that laughter (what could be more fun than that?) has far-reaching health benefits including pain relief, increased happiness and a stronger immune system. Laughter is a terrific stress management tool.

Having fun – reducing your stress, filling your cup, nurturing yourself – gives you the flexibility to parent creatively. When an issue arises, you will have the energy to grasp what your child can learn from the experience rather than frantically trying to get things under control. Having fun together will do that for everyone in your family.

Make having fun a priority rather than the last item on your agenda. Have fun BEFORE taking on big projects or prior to doing the things you aren’t fond of doing. You may actually have more fun than you thought. Have fun WHILE you make the bed, do the dishes or mow the lawn.

As TUT suggests, skip to the fun part! You children will learn to do that, too. The next generation in your family just might have fun ALL of the time! What a concept.

To hear this as a podcast, click here.

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