Home As A Pep Rally
By Jill Savage
Erica was playing her best game ever. Not only were Mark and I there to cheer her on, but her four siblings as well. She had her own cheering section!
Every home can serve as a pep rally for each member of the family. Just living under one roof, however, doesn’t assure a pep rally environment. A family of five can be living five very individual lives with everyone heading in different directions everyday. Or the same family can live life in community, cheering one another on.
Here are some ways to make home a pep rally:
Celebrate the ordinary: Does Johnny have a game on Saturday? Any family member who is home heads to the game to cheer him on. This creates a cheering section for each member of the family. Another way to celebrate the ordinary is to keep your eyes open for random celebrations. Is it Monday? If so, it’s “special dessert” night. Is it snowing outside? Then it’s time for snow ice cream!
Celebrate rites of passage: It’s important that families celebrate rites of passage in their children’s lives like becoming a teenager, getting a first job, or acquiring a driver’s license. When they feel they’ve arrived at something pretty special we need to affirm that these are important milestones in their life.
Celebrate birthdays: Birthdays are a special day for a family to celebrate one another. One family I know takes the birthday person to their favorite restaurant for dinner. Another family makes the birthday person’s favorite meal at home. Our family does “birthday breakfast” where we serve cake and ice cream for breakfast on each person’s birthday!
Celebrate accomplishments: On the day that Erica made the school musical, I set the “It’s your special day” dinner plate at her place on the table. On the day that Kolya made a goal during his soccer game, I set it at his place. Everyone needs to know that someone will celebrate with them when they’ve done something well!
Celebrate individuality: Does one child excel in math and another in history? Show them how to help one another in their area of strength. Is one child a thinker and another a feeler? Rather than allowing them to criticize one another, help them to see the benefits of each other’s personalities.
In the same way that cheerleaders cheer on the team, our family can cheer one another on. When home is a pep rally, we increase our family spirit in the game of life!
