The Freedom of Family Fun
With so much additional time on our hands, it is easy to spend it binging shows and scarfing down food. Trust me, I would know! However, there are so many better uses of this time that we should try to include in our temporary normal of quarantine with our families. God has blessed us with our families so we can support and be supported even as we learn to adjust to the hardships that have arisen from this virus. Proverbs 17:17 says, “a relative is born to help in adversity.” True, it is easy to break into a fight minutes after bringing out Monopoly, but there are ways to have fun while families stay at home together. I’d like to share with you one way my family has been using quarantine to have fun and grow closer together.
After spending more time than I’d like to admit scrolling social media, I came across the idea of family theme night dinners. The basis of this activity is that all members of a household pick a day to cook dinner for the family according to a theme of their choosing. For example, being the competitive person I am, I tried my hardest to set the bar high. I chose the theme of “Drive-in Movie Theater.” I went through old videos of my family growing up to create our movie to watch. I cooked what I could (which included the easiest foods available). Once dinner was ready, I called my family into the ticket booth where I gave them their meals while I acted like a moody, part-time theater employee. Last, my family made their way upstairs to the cardboard car I made earlier so we could watch our family movie. We had a fantastic time laughing at old videos and reminiscing with each other!
After this, my parents wanted to get in on the fun. My dad made a hibachi-style restaurant at home where he cooked in front of my family while we ate. He even learned how to make an onion train! Next, my mom blew my entire family away by creating a delicious French café, complete with berets for us to wear while we dined.
We are still trying to convince my brother to join our game, but my family has had so much fun and made many memories with this activity. I would highly recommend encouraging your families to do something similar to keep your focus away from the doors God is closing, to the doors He is opening during this season. Ephesians reminds us to, “Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”