You’re a parent. You give a lot to your home and child(ren). You do laundry, make meals, shop, clean, change diapers, fix broken things, calm nerves, patiently endure sickness, and a lot more! And when the physical needs are met, your mind is still going. You think about their emotions, what will they be like when they grow up, how can I offer them the brightest future? It’s more than work. It’s beyond work. Work is not a dirty word mind you. If there were a word that meant – beyond work, spilling over and permeating every piece of life, consuming your thoughts, feelings, and energies (In a good way) – then I would use that word here.

To put it lightly, parenting is an extremely monumental mission of king sized, oversized, and super sized proportions! {Can you hear the crowd cheering for you right now?} To think that this expedition could go on without a pause, without a breather would be unreasonable. It would be inhumane and unhealthy to strive 300% every moment of every day without cooling down somewhere. What we need is refreshing, calming, energizing, and strengthening. How do we get that in a positive way? Some parents understand it to be too much to push all the time, but instead of taking time to energize and strengthen themselves they resort to indulgence in illicit chemicals, alcohol, unhealthy activities, movies, video games, whatever to try to let the mind have some breathing room. This may produce a momentary retreat from the 24/7 mission but upon returning they often find themselves just as tired, frustrated, etc. as when they left.

What a parent (And really any human being) needs is recreation. In the real sense of the word; Re-Creation. To be created again. We’ve posted before about recreation for the family, but this time we’re talking about the parents need for re-creation. Think: Refreshing, Invigorating, Uplifting, Boosting, Vitalizing, Rejuvenating, Relaxing and often times Peaceful, Tranquil, and Soothing. Something that will give you space to have your mind calmed, and at the same time, fortified. We should return from Re-Creation cool, clear, collected, and at the same time energized.

Often Re-Creation is found in these forms: Creating Art – music, crafts, woodworking, photography, painting, writing, etc. Physical Activity – exercise, yard work (garden), hiking, canoeing, etc. Time In Nature – sunsets, animals, streams, rivers, mountains, camping, night skies, etc. Enjoying Life – art museums, concerts (Re-Creative music of course), book stores, tea houses, long walks, etc. Hobbies, Spiritual Activities, and More.

Recreation should happen consistently. The small types often and the larger types not so often. Some things can fit into a morning or evening routine, some a daily, some weekly / monthly / annually. If the time is planned into your schedule to recoup and refresh, then you won’t find yourself inconveniently steeling time away from other things just so you can maintain your sanity. You can be on top of your game with some forethought.

Recreation is something that should definitely be enjoyed by the individual parent but it’s also very good for spouses to share recreational time together if that can be arranged.

What are your favorite forms of recreation?