Making Home a Soft Place to Fall

by Joanne Newell

For many families in the northern hemisphere, it’s back-to-school time.

I just love the sense of optimism that’s part and parcel of a new school year – the smell of new books and freshly sharpened pencils, the change in routine, and, if your children are schooled away from home, their excitement at seeing old friends and getting to know a new classroom teacher.

But if your children do attend school outside home, it’s important to remember that they need to feel completely ‘at home’ when they return home from school each day (especially in those first few potentially stressful days of being in a new class). When they open the front door and dash in in a whirl of bags, books, and sporting equipment, they’re craving a ‘soft place to fall’, a respite from the outer world they’ve been inhabiting for most of the day.

Even if your kids absolutely love school, they still crave the feeling of security that home brings – and I believe that it’s our job to create that loving environment. If we set that up for them as children, they’ll know that they can create that nurturing environment for themselves as they grow. Creating a rhythm in their schooldays helps make life a little more predictable and secure.

So, what are some ways that we can create that beautiful, peaceful, ‘sigh of relief’ for our children when they return home from a school day?

Here are just a few ideas!

• Have a low-clutter home, where benches, tables and other pieces of furniture are clean and clear.
• Have soft classical music playing in the background.
• Have a vase of softly colored fresh flowers placed in a prominent position.
• Have the table laid with an inviting display of healthy, munchy, tasty snacks, including a fresh glass of water for re hydration (I ask my girls to drink a glass of water as soon as they get home – at least 15 minutes before they eat – because they often forget to drink water during the day!).
• Speak in soft, low tones.
• Depending on the personality of your child, decide whether to wait for them to tell you about their day, in their own time – some children need time to process the day in their mind before they feel comfortable sharing. Follow up their comments with gentle questions that show you really value hearing their news and opinions.
• Sit down and be open for hugs, kisses, giggles and heart-to-heart connections (with lots of eye contact – really important).
• If they’re full of energy after a day cooped up in school without time for physical play (such as on wet-weather days), give them a physical outlet such as dancing inside, or playing in a sheltered area outside.
• Try to stick to a basic after-school routine, and keep after-school, outside-the-home activities to a minimum – give your children time to just play, daydream, read, create, and be KIDS!

I hope these ideas inspire you to create a haven for your children – do you have an after-school routine that works for your family? Would you like to share your ideas with us? If so, we’d love for you to leave a comment below.

Take care, moms!

Love Raw Mom Jo

Joanne Newell is the author of Monkey Mike’s Raw Food Kitchen: An Un-Cookbook for Kids! – and she can show you how to create abundance, vitality, and the life of your dreams through her law of attraction life-coaching business, Rich Radiant Real. To grab a free copy of her luscious, instantly downloadable guide called 7 Ways to Recharge Your Vibration & Attract the Riches of Life, visit Rich Radiant Real.