Family Time

Family Time – Small activities done together make a big impact, even when you’re caring for a sick child.
It’s hard to create genuine family time when you’re caring for a sick child. Between weekly visits to the doctor, scheduled treatments at the hospital, and unforeseen emergencies that inevitably crop up, adding a “family play date” to the calendar almost seems laughable. But it doesn’t have to be—nor should it be.
Some of the best memories I have as a kid battling colon cancer is the fact that my parents tried hard to create, plan, and do “normal” family activities. Even as an adult cancer survivor raising a young child, I found that family activities were very therapeutic for me as I dealt with the side effects from years of surgeries and treatments. Just recently, I took family fun to a new level, when my 20-year-old son joined us for a blueberry picking outing at a local farm. The extended family was a mixed bag of characters, including the childhood colon cancer survivor (that’s me), my adult son, my husband, my stepdaughter, and little grandchildren who were running around with soup cans tied around their necks for carrying blueberries. Even the farmer who owned the local blueberry patch became a part of our family for about a half hour, simply because he saw how much fun we were having.
These types of family outings keep me grounded. They remind me of what is important in life. I watch my adult son and feel blessed that he is in my life after all I have been through. Watching my grandchildren smear stuff blueberries into their mouths gives me hope for the future.
Family time doesn’t have to mean a week-long vacation to Disney World or a fancy, expensive dinner or night out. What it should be is an activity that is easy for all to participate in—something that is simple to plan but will put a smile on everyone’s face. The perfect family outing will literally allow you to forget—if only for a moment—the challenges you are presented with every minute of the day. Here are just a few ideas to get you started on creating family fun amidst your chaotic schedule:
• Game Night – Pick a night once a week and declare it game night in your household. Each week a different person gets to choose the game. This is a simply activity that you can do for just an hour or play on into the wee hours of the night.
• Hometown Fun – Grab your local newspaper or search online for small, special events happening in your hometown. These make great family outings where you may also run into friends and neighbors. This is how we learned about blueberry picking just minutes from our house.
• Craft Night – Similar to game night, craft night can be a way to explore your family’s artistic side. Create one big project together, like a gingerbread house, or make smaller crafts for each to keep, hang up, or put on the fridge.
• Volunteer as a Family – Is there a local organization or medical facility that has been very kind and generous to your family? Investigate a way to “give back” to that organization by volunteering your time and talent as a family. It will help the organization that helps you and make you feel great at the same time.
Of course, there are many ways to create family time; the key is finding activities in which all family members are engaged. Things like going to a movie may be tempting, but you won’t be interacting with each other while you’re watching the movie. Ideas that let you laugh, play, and simply have fun are the most rewarding and beneficial for everyone.