Raising Young Girls - Lizzie Young
What a crisis we have found ourselves in over the past few weeks! People’s lives, vocations, workplaces, routines, all turned upside down in what literally feels like overnight! As a mum that homeschools, not much has changed for me except for the world around me is spending a lot more time at home as well!
We have 3 amazing daughters each 18 months apart, which makes life fun, especially as they all grow out of toddlerhood and plant their feet firmly into the child-hood phase of life. There's a lot more noise in the house, that's for sure!
I just wanted to take this time to quickly share a couple of activities that have become a habit in our home on a weekly basis as we teach and develop our children to become the beautiful human beings they are destined to be, and also influencing them in the process. Though I’m speaking from the perspective of having daughters, boys will love these activities too. Anything that gives you intentional time with your children is SUCH a win, and serves such a strong moral purpose in their lives as well. So sit back, enjoy a cup of coffee or tea, whether resting in the lounge room or hiding in the toilet - here we go!
Daddy Daughter Dates
Note that gender is not a barrier with parent-child dates - neither are finances or the inability to leave the house! You can do mummy daughter dates, mother and son dates, or daddy son dates - all are important! The point is time alone with your child - one on one. Blake, my husband, has been taking our daughters out on dates for as long as I can remember. Whether it's out for ice cream, or to sit under a tree in the backyard, it serves its purpose. We’ve baked together, played legos together, done a puzzle… and now, with multiple kids in the mix there has never been a more important time to value the One in our household than when the house is full of people.
You can often tell by a child’s behaviour when they need some one on one time, maybe they are a bit more ratty or defiant than usual, or saying or doing things out of character - and yes, in those moments we bring correction, but more often than not, it's a sign that it’s time for a date with dad.
Poetry Tea Time
I learnt this cool concept through skimming the many Pinterest and Instagram accounts devoted to home schooling - it’s literally what the name says. You have a tea party, and read poetry! OKAY - so personally I’m not a fan of reading poetry let alone out loud, but the concept has evolved in our house from beautiful little rhymes and poems found in their school books, to reading Anne of Green Gables, one chapter a week and unpacking the beauty of a timeless classic.
We bake something (or buy something already baked), put on the kettle, find a pretty spot outside (or set up in the lounge room), and we have tea. Then we have cute chats, pinkies up, and I’ll read the book or poems. Sometimes it lasts 10 minutes, sometimes a whole hour. Regardless, the memories are beautiful and I can picture the day that is coming when my daughters will read to me, maybe from timeless classics, maybe from their own journals or maybe sharing their dreams for the future. Either way, these little moments now, will make a big difference in the future. When life gets busy again and everyone goes back to work, this is a habit that will remain, and hopefully be passed down to their daughters, then one day poetry tea time will include grandchildren of my own!
Kaleidoscope rocks
This is a fun one! All you need is rocks from the garden, nail polish, and a bowl of water (that you don’t mind messing up)!
Step 1: Find your rocks
Make this an adventure, hunt around the garden, find different textures, sizes, shapes etc. Searching for rocks is always fun, and you could discover a whole bunch of wonders in the process!
Step 2: Wash and dry your rocks
Another fun game if you want it to be! Depends how long you want this activity to last!
Step 3: Drip and Dip!
Now this requires solid timing, as the nail polish can dry quickly and won’t stick to the rocks. Basically, you drip the nail polish into the bowl of water, one colour after the other, then - with a good pinch grip on your rock - dunk your rock straight into the floating nail polish, covering the whole thing! Pull it out and set it down to dry, and you have some beautifully coloured rocks!
There you have it! A few activities that can become fun and memorable moments to add to the life of your home. Please share if you have tried any of these activities or decide to start them in your home, I’d love to know. Happy dating your daughters (and sons)!
Written By Lizzie Young
Lizzie is married to Blake Young and mother to Keilani, Zion and Shiloh. She lives in Gaborone, Botswana and is on team at Kingdomcity