Christmas Day, New York Times, a sign of the times:
Beyond Crafts and Cookies, Girl Scouts Are Prospering By LISA W. FODERARO
ARCHMONT, N.Y., Dec. 24
In a chilly cabin here, the ambitious young suburbanites brainstormed a few weeks back on ways to relieve stress. The solutions were the usual: bubble baths by candlelight, yoga, relaxing music, setting limits.
"There's nothing wrong with being busy," said Vickie Hage, an architect in Mamaroneck, helping the fourth graders in Girl Scout Troop 1839 work on their "Stress Less" merit badge. "It's much better to be busy than to not be busy. But you don't want to be so busy that it makes you cry or it makes you nervous or it makes you mean to your mom."
Being a child in these high-stress, full-scheduled times is not what it used to be, and, as the Stress Less badge introduced a year ago indicates, neither are the Girl Scouts.
Posted by Bill at 12/27/2002 10:36:08 AM | Link
The CEO of my daughter's company,
Merrill Corporation, sent out this email to employees this Christmas:
"It's the time of year when we are reminded of what is really important. Work is important, but in the end, it's the precious time that we have with our loved ones that defines our lives."
Is this not an eloquent statement of our message in Putting Family First?
Best to you and your loved ones this season.
Posted by Bill at 12/23/2002 10:08:15 AM | Link
The
Star Tribune has an article on the front page today titled
Christmas cheer: Pay someone else to do it. It's about the trend for busy people to outsource decorating their Christmas trees, preparing the Christmas meal, sending Christmas cards, and selecting and buying presents for loved ones. Read it and form your own opinion. There is a reader poll there, too. I'm interested in your comments -- just click the "Comments" link at the end of this post.
Posted by Bill at 12/20/2002 10:18:08 AM | Link
Here's a report on a research review of the health benefits of family rituals, with a discussion at the end about family holiday rituals. Note the distinction between family routines and family rituals.
Behavior: How Rituals Enhance Well-Being
By JOHN O'NEIL
The New York Times
Family routines and rituals can be good for both physical and mental well-being, a study being published today in The Journal of Family Psychology concludes.
While the study looked at routines and rituals in general, the study's author, Dr. Barbara H. Fiese of Syracuse University, said its findings had some specific relevance to holidays.
"Holiday routines and rituals are often portrayed as something to dread," Dr. Fiese said. "But if you look at how they are practiced, there are all kinds of positive outcomes."
In the article, she and her colleagues reviewed 50 years of relevant studies. The authors defined routines as settled patterns of activity or communication and rituals as events or acts that evoked emotions or conferred meaning.
"If you don't think about it after it's over or wouldn't miss it, it's a routine," Dr. Fiese said, drawing a distinction between picking up cards or wrapping paper and "all piling in the car to go cut the Christmas tree."
Routines appear to have benefits in terms of physical health or well-being, according to the studies reviewed. In families with predictable routines, children had fewer respiratory illnesses and better overall health, and they performed better in elementary school.
Rituals have a greater effect on emotional health, Dr. Fiese said. Adolescents in families with strong rituals reported a stronger sense of self, couples reported happier marriages, and children had greater interaction with their grandparents.
Dr. Fiese noted that trying to pack too many rituals into the holiday season could add to stress instead of relieving it. "Sit down as a family and try to figure out three things everybody looks forward to, and try to preserve them," she said. "And you can also talk about what things make people feel stressed and try to avoid them."
Posted by Bill at 12/17/2002 08:43:17 PM | Link
A parent told me today that she and her husband were among the few parents who kept their 14 year old home for Thanksgiving and said "no" to their religious community which scheduled a national trip for youth beginning on Thanksgiving morning. It was an event that brought youth together from all over the country, and it was scheduled at this time because it was deemed the optimal time to have a four day youth weekend. Can you believe it? The mother who told me this she was proud that she and her husband said "no," but stunned that that so many parents saw this as an important opportunity not to be missed--and that her faith community would create this conflict for teens and families.
Posted by Bill at 12/02/2002 09:16:10 PM | Link