With everything you have to do in a day, from working the 9-5, to running the kids hither and yon, to keeping a clean home with hot meals on the table, you might not feel like you have any free time with which you enjoy a hobby. And yet, if you don’t make the time to take care of yourself, you’ll only end up fatigued, stressed, or even sick, leaving you useless to yourself and everyone else. Plus, failing to schedule in quality time to spend with your family could leave you wondering why you’re working so hard in the first place. So take a long look at your schedule, cancel unnecessary obligations, and create the time you so desperately need for yourself and your family.
After that, your next order of business is to figure out how to enjoy this time together. And a family hobby could be just the ticket.
The problem is that your family is comprised of a diverse group of individuals, each with different preferences and interests. So while your son may love soccer, the rest of the group might not be so keen to get muddy chasing a ball.
Your daughter might enjoy dress-up, but her brothers aren’t likely to spend the afternoon trying on lipstick and feather boas. Whereas you and your spouse could happily spend the afternoon touring a local museum, the kids may not appreciate perusing priceless works of art when they could be playing video games. So what can you do to ensure a fun activity that the whole family will love?
There are a couple of options. One thing you could try is choosing activities in a rotation, as in one family member chooses the activity one day, another the next. But this doesn’t negate the issue of only one person having fun while the others suffer through an activity that they may really dislike. A better option might be to ask for suggestions. Each family member can come up with a list of activities that they find to be fun and interesting, or even things that they’ve never tried, and all can try to think up new hobbies that everyone might enjoy. You can then peruse the lists and pick something to try from each one. You could also vote on ideas to choose the most popular one or even throw a bunch in a hat and pull one out to try randomly.
A better option might be to ask for suggestions. Each family member can come up with a list of activities that they find to be fun and interesting, or even things that they’ve never tried, and all can try to think up new hobbies that everyone might enjoy. You can then pursue the lists and pick something to try from each one. You could also vote on ideas to choose the most popular one or even throw a bunch in a hat and pull one out to try randomly.
Or if you can’t come to a consensus and you’ve run out of ideas, try looking on hobbyist websites to find something a bit more outside of your wheelhouse. You can get a whole slew of unusual hobby ideas to attempt, such as guerilla gardening (planting in public spaces), geocaching (GPS scavenger hunts), duct-tape art, eggshell carving, or even planking. Once you find something that everyone can agree on, the only thing left to figure out is what it costs. But the truth is, finding a new family hobby that everyone can enjoy is nothing short of priceless.
Los Angeles Nanny says
It’s not an easy job striking that balance.
Marie says
Great ideas! I Love Geo caching! Just popped in on the Grand Event Alexa hop!