Sometimes we get caught up in everyday living . . . you know: changing diapers, scrubbing floors, wiping noses, doing laundry. The list of essential, mundane things can be long and even seem boring. But when those things seem to take over my life, I have to physically stop what I’m doing and check myself. A great perspective activity is to talk myself into remembering why I wanted a family in the first place. It certainly wasn’t so I could have more laundry to do, or because I love the sound of bawling babies. I chose to have a family because of the great joy it brings. Being intentional in grabbing moments of fun can become a habit. But here’s the great news: The mundane can be fun, too!
Remember Mary Poppins, the magical nanny who was not only incredibly fun, but ridiculously efficient too? Well, we all have a little Mary Poppins in us. “In everything that must be done there is an element of fun,” she sang. “Find the fun, and, SNAP! The job becomes a game! And every task you undertake becomes a piece of cake.” Truer words have never been sung so beautifully. A bit later in that song, Mary Poppins gives us the method to turn mundane into fun. It’s simply this: “Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.”
Building strong families means many things, including structure and routine, discipline, love, and teaching. When we remember that no learning can take place in a negative atmosphere, it’s easy to turn teaching opportunities into fun, memorable moments. Want your child to learn to put his toys away? Make a game of it! Your 2-year-old wants to unload the dishwasher with you? Let her! And sing while you do it together. Have some weeds to pull? Get everyone their own special set of gloves and have a contest seeing who can pull the most weeds. All participants get rewarded with a swimming outing.
When our children see us enjoying the work we do, they will enjoy work too. When we use work as a time to be together and tell stories, sing, and laugh, our children will grow up seeking satisfaction from a job well done. Their reward will be the fun they have working and seeing the results, not the money they make or don’t make. You see, fun is actually an essential element of building a strong family. When fun is at the core, all of life’s lessons are more easily learned, love and trust is developed, and self-confidence grows.
Choose today to turn the mundane into fun and make every moment count!
