A blended family is one of the most beautiful things in the world. Accepting children who are not yours biologically and having them accept you back is a true gift from God. It isn't just the accepting, it is the true love and devotion that grows over time. The trust that is built as time passes.
I grew up in a very traditional family structure. A mom and a dad, a dog, Christmas, Easter, birthdays, trips. For all of the difficulties that happened throughout my young life, my parents always did their best. I always wanted that picture for the children I would eventually have. I wanted a two parent home with happy children, a big yard, a great job...oh wait, that's what I have- after many roadblocks, speed bumps and "dips" (literally and figuratively).
None of the bad matters-this is all about the good. That is the "Life Is Very Good" mantra I am working on each and every day. I am now married to the man of my dreams who came into my three son family with his two sons. One nice thing was they all attended the same school and knew each other. Another good thing was they liked each other! Yeah! We were very fortunate in that respect.
Raising five sons who only span seven years in total between them was a wild ride. It still is...but we now have only two at home and it feels a bit more mellow. Of course, we have been at this a while.
The number one reason for success? Dinnertime. Our dinner routine started out as a business model. It was a time to figure out who had what for homework, if there were any permission slips in need of signing, any projects coming up requiring poster board? You know those kinds of down and dirty questions. When asking the boys about their days at school, the information given was pathetic at best. So, we transformed our routine.
Yes, we still needed to know all of that other boring stuff, but the method of delivery changed. Each boy had to start at the beginning of his day and revisit every class-in order- detailing what was taught, discussed, and expected. This continues all the way to the end of his day. We wanted details as small as what they had for lunch and who they sat with. It was in this setting that we found out the Pledge of Allegiance was "up to the discretion of the individual teachers." NOPE. That didn't fly. My husband went to the school and demanded that policy was changed. Overnight- it was changed.
Our dinners can last upwards of two hours now. The two boys at home are in high school and we can take tangents in their daily wrap-up that would make your head spin. It is a wonderful way to end the day, it brings all of us so much closer together, it allows us to problem solve as a family and fix things that don't match our family values. Try it- you'll love it!
Got to go!!! Dinner's on~
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