Summertime Family Planning

Even though the pandemic is mostly behind us, some families are still reeling from its effects. My first letter asks about using family planning meetings to plan for summer activites. I encourage full participation, using active listening and problem solving to create a great, fun summer for all. A mom writes me in the second letter feeling overwhelmed with kid activities and bemoaning no  time for herself. I encourage her to look at the circumstances in both/and terms, not in either/or terms. With supervision and accountability in place, there can be self-caring for mom without kids running wild.