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A FAMILY THAT PLAYS TOGETHER

© Cindy Ovard

A family that plays together stays together! That's my motto in life! I grew up with a step-mom, a step- brother and a step-sister. My life was not bad, in fact it was great! I think my mom did me a favor by divorcing my father. I was able to see the most respected man in my life begin to smile again and really begin to live and enjoy life.

I saw that humor in family and family fun times were the most important things in life. The time we spend with our loved ones is what counts. Not what kind of car we drive, or how big our house is. It's the time we spend as a family.

Children don't remember or cherish memories in their life from just one simple event. Children remember things that happen repeatedly or events that changed their life. Think back to your own childhood and try to remember the things that you cherish or the things that you hated. Sitting on your grandmother's lap smelling her grandma perfume? Or, when the carnival pulled into town year after year? The stories your parents read to you at bedtime or the bully that beat you up every day after school. These things happened over and over again and stuck in your mind.

It's the same with fun times with our families. We remember the good times and remember the fun things we did together as a family! We laughed as a family. We laughed at each other as a family. We did family time!

With the 90's almost gone and parents each holding down full time jobs, it's hard to get these family times together. That's why it's so important to FIND the time and put the time towards our families. After it's all said and done our families are the only ones we have left to lean on, they are the ones we turn to for comfort.

Happy family times are what we want to create. If you don't have those times, it's not to late. Just pick up and start doing them now! Your children will love them. I remember the time I decided, just for the fun of it, to have a candlelit dinner for the my family. I fixed a simple spaghetti meal. I hate to cook, but I know my family needs to eat, so I dumped a bottle of sauce in some already cooked meatballs and boiled up some noodles. I grabbed the salad in a bag and dressing out of the fridge. I buttered a few slices of bread and wrapped them up in tinfoil and popped them in the oven for about fifteen minutes to heat. Voi la! I had a yummy spaghetti dinner. I put out my good china and silverware. (Come on ladies, when do you ever use that china you got for your wedding that sits in your China cabinet for looks?) I used it on my family that night along with candles. When my kids walked in the door from playing outside they asked who was coming to dinner. Isn't it sad that they didn't think they were as important as some of my "guests"? We had a great time eating by candlelight. My daughter will ask at least once a week if we can use the candles again. We have, but of course not ever night, but I want my kids to know that they are my world. This time of their life passes so quickly and I want to share in it with them. I'll have my own free time in about ten years, but during this time, I'm enjoying every new day with my kids and my husband and our own fun world.