Each month, we pose a parenting question from local moms and dads to local moms and dads. In December 2020, one mom is looking for ideas to stay optimistic through the long and cold winter. Here’s what other local parents had to say on the topic.
Mom’s Question:Â Â
I’m worried this winter is going to be tough. What are you doing to keep joy in your life? I’m looking for ideas to tuck away for when I need them.
Parent’s Answers:Â
Making others happy makes me happy. Porch drop-offs of homemade cookies, crafts, etc. Video chat dinners or girls night, family time, baking, maybe taking some classes (several Ivy League universities offer free online classes) or working on my sign language skills. – Lisa B.
Make a long list of things to learn and then learn them with the family: sewing, baking, cooking, painting, ceramics, knitting and crocheting, languages, subjects. – Peggy R.
Wine Wednesdays with my sisters over video chat, indoor dance workouts, then eat some homemade brownies for balance with the kiddos! Art projects, board games, family movie nights every Saturday, organizing projects for me, forts in the boys room for them. – Amy E.
Bake together, play games, read a book as a family, decorate like crazy for Christmas, have hot cocoa and movie nights. – Kati S.
For me personally, and for my college-age kids, I often think of Ann Frank – we at least have the good fortune of still being able to step outside, go for a drive, call friends and “see” them, even if just virtually, all with an eye to protecting ourselves and each other. She couldn’t do any of that without risking her life. We don’t know exactly what we risk in not taking precautions but we know death is a possibility. If this lingers beyond the number of days she was in hiding, then we MIGHT have something to complain about. In the meantime, with my younger kids, we plan game days, movie nights, forts. We work on new skills, crafts. We play with friends, dance with each other. We imagine the first things we’ll want to do when this is behind us. – Yolanda M.
Going to the gym gives me joy, hoping they’ll stay open. I also like snowshoeing, and skiing in the snow. – Lori S.
Cozy colorful wool socks! They make staying inside snugglier and long walks in the snow much more pleasant. – Erin K.
