The Rule of Six
A few months ago, I stumbled across this post on Melissa Wiley’s blog, and fell in love with the idea of the family “rule of six.” So here’s our rule of six, modified slightly to better fit us.
Today have we experienced…
- Meaningful work? Even toddlers “work,” undertaking tasks with purposes perhaps only they understand!, and need uninterrupted time to concentrate.
- Imaginative play? An important, sometimes underrated, “work” of childhood.
- Ideas to ponder & discuss? Which presumes time together for conversation and interesting experiences (books, outing, or just daily work) to spark curiosity.
- Beauty? Time, eyes, ears, to enjoy creation, art, music… More basically, have we spent time outside today?
- Expressions of gratitude & love? Through word and deed.
- Prayer? As ongoing conversation… How have we tried to be aware of God’s presence and work today?
This is our definition of a basically good day. Although D is too young to review the rule of six at bedtime as Melissa describes doing with her children, I’ve found it comforting and reassuring to do on my own, esp. during particularly busy weeks or after long and crabby days! An idea that stuck out to me while skimming a new-ish Marcus Buckingham book for women, Find Your Strongest Life, is that motherhood is so difficult and demanding psychologically in part because there’s rarely a strong sense of accomplishment, of a definitive standard of excellence that allows you to say, YES, I met my goals today. The rule of six is short, easy to remember, comprehensive… and helps me to focus on the positive and the truly important.
Thanks for coming back! As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
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Tags: family traditions, family values, self management
Categories:
Family Life, Learning All the Time
Janice Peterson
Brenna, I’m enjoying your blog. I appreciate your insights into this crazy, wonderful thing called motherhood. Thanks for sharing.
Brenna
Thanks, Janice – that means a lot, coming from an excellent mother like yourself