These last weeks of Rockingmama Journey started with connecting with our children through play and now we are connecting children to their community, their past, and themselves.
One point I remember as I journey through motherhood is that every super hero needs and orgin story. LIke super heros they need to have a sense of community responsibility and where they came from.
Journey #12 
Find a way to serve the community and connecting your children to the community.
This #rockingmamajourney might take some planning BUT it’s so worth it. My girls and I serve at church – sometimes not together – but at least once a month I am with my big girls teaching Saturday school and once Jojo is old enough she’ll join us.
𝚃𝙸𝙿𝚂
📝 If you go to church – see if they need volunteers for an event or teachers and helpers for their Kids Min program
📝 Call a local charity that feeds the homeless or provides for them in some way and ask if they need people to cook meals, gather supplies, sort clothes
📝 Know an elderly neighbor? Work together to help – if they need it – on a project they need to have completed. (Yardwork, painting, grocery shopping)
Journey #13
Find a new and challenging adventure outside of your comfort zone to cement your children’s connection.
Some of the best and meaningful times we have together as a family occur when we are trying something new. Especially something that I might not be a fan of. It’s always a little stran
ge to have your five-year-old encouraging you to just “not look down and walk across the beam”
𝚃𝙸𝙿𝚂
📝 Do not choose something harder than your least able child. If one child is terrified of heights – don’t pick a high-string adventure. Please.
📝Try to think of something different but familiar. Such as taking a hike on a slightly harder trail or exploring a new creek.
📝 Use the holiday weekend to try something new without any pressure
Journey #14
Talk about your family history and connect children to the past.
This #rockingmamjourney is about 25 years in the making for me. I’ve always been a history buff and so discovering my genealogy was exciting and cool. But you don’t have to do a deep dive into the past for this one – unless you want to.
Tell your kids about growing up in the decade you grew up in. Tell them about how school was, what you did for fun, or what you got in trouble for. Compare notes with them. Talk about how the world is different and why. Really connecting your children with the past will give them a whole new perspective on life.
You can also start a family tree on one of the plethora of programs available for “extra credit”. I’ve been working on my family tree for over 20 years. I’ve hit a ton of dead ends, but it’s also a neat little side project that I love. The fit of connecting your children to their past will have a huge pay off.
𝚃𝙸𝙿𝚂
📝 Keep it as serious or light-hearted as you feel is appropriate for your kiddos. Not everyone had a great childhood and you know best whether your kids can accept that or not.
📝 Talk about the fun stuff. I’m usually the first to point out how much harder it was back in the day but there were so many good things too!
📝 Grab pictures of parents, grandparents, or great grand if you’re really lucky, to show your kids. They’ll get a kick out of seeing grandma or grandpa as teens.
Journey #15
Give your kiddo some grace today.
I don’t know about the rest of you but heading back full throttle into summer travel has really stretched my patience and ability to be calm and carry on.
All of our kids, no matter their ages, have gone through some stuff this year. And now we are heading back into business as usual. It can be hard. And there are big feelings involved. From all of us.
Most of the time, when kids are dealing with big feelings, they don’t always express them in the nicest and calmest of ways. Even if your kiddo is normally the most polite, calm, laid-back child ever…there will be a time that they just can’t process what is going on in their lives.
So let’s make it our mission to give them some grace. We have all worked super hard connecting with our children.
𝚃𝙸𝙿𝚂
📝 Give grace but discuss it too. Let them know you are going to be understanding but that you need to have a discussion about why and what they are trying to work through
📝 Take a deep breath before you address the situation
📝 Be prepared for the fact that it usually all goes to crap right when you decide to give some grace 🥰🤨🤔
We’ve worked very hard at connecting our kids with their community, history, and themselves so you’ll want to continue the good work. What things are you going to do to keep the connection going?