We are so blessed that the kiddo gets to come and spend time with us during the school holidays. They are periods of fun and connection and growth for all of us. Previously we have had lots of things planned for the time off and we try to fill the days with as many experiences as possible, kind of "making up for lost time" if that makes sense. It's fun and exhausting and wonderful.
This time, we made a decision to schedule very little. Just to enjoy spending time together. I was so worried we would be bored, but this last weekend I was sad to think that the holiday was over and school was starting again. I was not the only one, believe me. The kiddo was moping around, when school started back the dog hid for 2 days and only came out when necessary. We are all pouting.
This time of connection was really special for us. We saw so many improvements and such a deepening of our relationship.
I think we played at least 30 games of monopoly-- thanks to Aunt Matty and Uncle Regi we have moved on from Monopoly Jr Dora Edition to the real deal (longer games just what we needed, thanks guys.) We spent hours playing hide and seek and singing "Let it Go" and "Do you Want to build a Snowman."
We facetimed friends and family around the world.
We built blanket forts and took naps during the day.
But it was not all perfect. She tested boundaries. I still had to work. Nyasha still had to work. We had to do chores. We celebrated mother's day which is gloriously special and a heartbreaking reminder of previous losses for both of us girls. We had some unstructured days that left us a little lost and broken and melting down (chaos and lack of structure= a nightmare for kiddos from hard places.) And then of course there is the reality that the holiday times always come to an end and what that means for us all.
If I had to sum up this holiday time I would say: We invested the time in connecting.
And it was hard, but worth it!
With love from Zimbabwe,
Gigi
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| This girl is a Monopoly shark... WATCH OUT! |
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