Last season of the podcast, I interviewed Dr. Ann Fishel, the visionary behind the Family Dinner Project. An organization out of Boston whose work revolves around food, fun and conversation about things that matter. One of the things she likened family dinners to are like “a seatbelt in the potholed road of adolescence.” Phew. This is one of those statements that has remained engraved in my memory.
Growing up my dad (quoted above) would randomly call out, “Lets go for a ride” and my siblings and I would bundle into our red little car and off we would go. To nowhere in particular yet we would come back with full hearts. The thing I am realizing with kids especially in the early years – is it really does not matter where you are going or what you are doing as long as you are doing it together. Today we headed out after dinner to basic Walmart and as we were deciding who would go into the store and who would stay in the car our daughter with all her 4 year old wisdom says, “How about we all go in as a family?”
These moments are precious. They may seem mundane and redundant but in childhood – everything adds up. Creating moments where you are just in each others presence – doing nothing – are moments that kids look back on and go like mmmh dad or mum was onto something. As kids grow older, these are the moments you are able to catch glimpses of their day, have discussions about the online world – what they have seen, answer questions they may have etc. I remember speaking to Cam Adair, a recovered problematic video gamer himself and founder of Game Quitters – the largest support group worldwide for people managing gaming addiction. One thing he said is “My dad would take me out for shake and that is when he would share his concerns about my gaming, not in the house, while I was gaming.” There is just something disarming about changing the environment. When in doubt, go outside.
Thanks dad for creating these moments where we “just went for a ride” to soak up each others presence.