Perhaps you remember the fable of the Tortoise and the Hare from your childhood. The overconfident hare challenges the tortoise to a race, but with slow and steady perseverance, the tortoise surprises everyone and wins the race. Striving to be slow is not a message we hear often in the American culture. By contrast, whoever claims to be the busiest is the best!

Thomas Friedman picked up on this theme when he wrote the book, Thank You For Being Late: An Optimists Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations. Families are busier today than ever before which is stressful for parents and for kids. Take the opportunity this new year to take a “slow day” or night each week to decompress and simply enjoy each other.

Have a jammie night – everyone (parents too!) in their PJ’s by 7:00 p.m.
Turn off all electronics and read a chapter book together out loud
Make hot chocolate from scratch and sip it by candlelight
Play occasional hooky from meetings/sports/activities and make dinner at home instead
Take a restorative yoga class together

Take a Slow Day