Guest Article by Sarah Gentili

A Night Out With The Family

Every year our city has a week long Italian festival where people can come and listen to free music while enjoying some of the best Italian food around. It's a fun, relaxed event that usually ends with the crowd joining the fun and dancing to traditional Italian music in the makeshift piazza . Every year since my husband and I started dating, we have attended this event and had a blast.

This year things have changed quit a bit in our home because we have adopted three school age children. My husband and I both work and we wanted the transition into our home to be a smooth one so we try to include our children in our outings. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't. Some of the things we did as a couple have been put on hold so we can do more family orientated activities.

While the Italian Festival is clean and fun, most of the people who attend are couples, some of them older and familiar with the Italian Music made popular by Sinatra's Rat Pack. It also ran later then our normal activities, ending at eleven at night. I was concerned that the late hour, lack of activities and the foreign music would lead to boredom and mischief. However, we had not had any behavior problems at other family outings so we decided to go.

Our enthusiasm rubbed off on our kids. They were thrilled to be going to a “grown up” activity. In particular one that meant so much to there father, an Argentinean-Italian. The kids had a blast, joining in the dances, sampling the food and being with their family.

While I was pleasantly surprised, I did not think much about my kids behavior until my husband and I were approached by two different couples who complimented us on our children. As I looked around the crowd, I realized that almost all of the couples there where old enough to have children school age, if not older. Yet only two or three had brought there older teenage children.

How many had used babysitters? How many had left their children at home because they were afraid of being embarrassed or experiencing misbehavior? How many had missed out on the opportunity to create real and lasting memories with their children?

I understand that parents need time with other adults and that this is an important need. I also understand that as children get older, including them in more adult activities is important. Children need to be able to laugh, play and experience new things with their parents as time goes by. Family outings are a key way to meet this need. The secret is to let the family outing evolve with time. Don't opt for babysitters and leaving kids alone when the opportunity to strengthen your family ties is right there to grab onto. Instead be creative, be bold and have fun.

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Copyright 2009 Leland Pulley