Christmas is coming and so are the school holidays: over the next several days, in the midst of shopping, present-wrapping and decorating, one question in the minds of parents of school age children is: should we be leaving time for school work?
Here are ‘two R’s’ for the school holidays: Rest and Recreation – all underpinned by a ‘third R’: Re-connecting with each other and with some Christmas traditions.
A time to rest: relax and re-charge batteries With a long tiring term behind them, encourage your kids to have a proper rest. While it is tempting in this season of goodwill to over-indulge the appetite in all kinds of ways, catching up with friends and family is an important part of the Christmas scene. Especially for children, plenty of sleep, a good diet and (some but not too much) celebrating must be the order of the day. Beware the schedule that does not allow space and time to recuperate and re-charge the batteries; it is an easy trap to fall into, especially at this time of year.
Real recreation: re-connect as a family – Christmas should be a time for families to re-connect with one another. Statistics show that family conflicts can come to a head at this time of year, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Leave space in the margins for spontaneous activities like a walk at Liliuokalani Park, shopping trips for stocking stuffers, cooking together and take advantage of whatever is local to help you do so: church, local and community events. And don’t let Christmas dinner be the only meal you sit down to together this holiday.
`Oli `Oli Kalikimaka!
Source adapted: www.telegraph.co.uk