We talk about how connecting with our kids can help protect them against addiction and the harms of pornography. But how exactly do we build those healthy connections? Ever considered the benefits of adventuring with your kids? They go well beyond exercise and a healthy dose of fresh air. Adventuring together builds connections in unimaginable ways. Plus it’s fun!
We have a return guest this week, Greta Eskridge—supermom, home educator, social media influencer, and most recently … published author (details below). And BOY is she fun to follow! Her passion is to be out doing AMAZING stuff with her kids! And that’s exactly why we’re picking her brain. What’s the secret to these amazing adventures? And what can we learn from her experience?
Last time Greta was on the show, we were in the first few weeks of the COVID-19 madness. Suddenly dumped into the schooling-from-home arena, we looked to her for advice. At that point, none of us imagined that several months later, we would still be in lockdown. Most of us are still schooling and working from home in one form or another, and trying to cope with the upside-down new normal (if you can call it that!). What’s a desperate parent to do?
Related: Ep. #2-11, HELP! What Do I Do with Kids at Home? Parenting & COVID-19 with Greta Eskridge, home educator @maandpamodern
Tune in to the podcast for some great conversations about how to get out of the funk and build real, meaningful connections with our kids that will last a lifetime!
Learning to thrive amid challenges
It’s okay to give ourselves time to mourn what we’ve lost during the pandemic. Places are closed. Events have been canceled. We’re missing people we haven’t seen in months. We’re feeling frustrated and disappointed. But we can’t afford to get stuck in thoughts of what could have been. After we’ve shed our tears and shouted our frustrations, it’s time to use our energy in new places. And with a little bit of creativity we can learn to THRIVE instead of just SURVIVE.
Related: Ep. #2-14, Surviving Quarantine: The Kids-at-Home Survival Guide & Screen Safety Plan
Has your family taken time to find the silver lining in the middle of this crisis? For instance, after everything was canceled, what did you fill your calendar with? Greta’s family used their newly found time for a road trip. They took in a bunch of national parks, something they never would have been able to do otherwise. “It wasn’t without a cost,” Greta said. But in it they were able to find beauty from the ashes.
A handbook for adventure
When Greta’s children were little (ages 5, 3, and 1) people used to approach her in the grocery store and say, “Aw, they’re so sweet … now. But just wait until they’re older and they don’t want to be around you anymore.” In those moments, she thought: How can I make my story different? I want to have meaningful connections with my kids, even long into adulthood!
And so she started the tradition of adventuring together. Of course, with her young kids, these adventures weren’t anything grandiose. Maybe they just took a walk to the nature center. “The key to adventuring,” Greta says, “is just to get away from the daily routine and do something that brings us all joy.” When we get out of our bubble, our home, our yard, we are able to suddenly look around and SEE each other.
Over the years, Greta has watched their adventures feed into strong, lasting relationships. Now she’s teaching other parents how to do it in her book, Adventuring Together: How to Create Connections and Make Lasting Memories with Your Kids. Tune in to the podcast to hear her talk about some of her stories and experiences in the book!
Facing challenges together
Greta shared a beautiful story about hiking with her son. They had a big hill to climb, the day was hot, and he was having trouble. He wanted to quit and turn back. But she stopped with him. Together they made a plan. Going on wasn’t easy. But she explained to us there is power doing hard things alongside our children.
It helps them to know—on a deep level—that we’re on their team. And when hard things happen in life, they know they can come to us. Also, being out together allows time for open conversations, a precious commodity in this day and age!
Right now, in the middle of lockdown, you might be thinking … Ah, well. Of course I’m connecting with my children. Let’s be honest. Being in close proximity doesn’t necessarily equal connection. Connection requires work. We need to do something beyond being in the same room. “We live in a day and age where there are so many things vying for our children’s attention and, even more, for their hearts,” Greta says. So how do we hold on to their hearts?
Related: Ep. #2-15, Establishing a Strong Foundation Even Before the Porn Talk with Brett Ullman, speaker, vlogger, and author
Practical tips for adventuring together
We’re not gonna lie. We were a little intimidated by the idea of “adventuring” when we started talking to Greta. But she reassured us that “adventuring” doesn’t have to look the same for every family. And you don’t have to hike the Grand Canyon! Below are a few tips for making it work for you. Tune in for more.
- Start small. Walk to a place in your neighborhood or closeby.
- Create a group. Adventures are even better with friends!
- Adventure indoors. Find an activity where your child is the “master,” and step into their world.
- Adventure through books. Books allow you to travel to destinations you might never be able to do in real life.
Episode challenge
This week, surprise your kids with something that will bring them joy and delight—something that’s outside your ordinary routine that will show them you love them. Then figure out how to make those moments become part of your parenting practice.
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More about today’s guest
Greta Eskridge is a mother, home educator, and writer who travels around the U.S. speaking and sharing her message of joyful, connected parenting. She lives in sunny Southern California with her artist husband Aaron and their 4 kids and loves to fill their school days with reading, making art, and being outside as much as possible. Her favorite places to be are on a hiking trail or at the tide pools–preferably with a La Croix or iced coffee in hand. She loves being active, laughing, having adventures, reading, and taking cat naps in the afternoon. Greta’s first book, Adventuring Together, was recently published this year.
Links/Resources
Adventuring Together: How to Create Connections and Make Lasting Memories with Your Kids (book) by Greta Eskridge
The Opposite of Addiction is Connection (Psychology Today)
Everything You Think You Know About Addiction is Wrong (TEDx)
*Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means, at no additional cost to you, Parents Aware/Media Savvy Moms receives a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Thanks for helping to support us in our mission to protect families from the harms of pornography.
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