Sundays ... what are they all about?

When I lived in the UK, I remember Sundays meant that we had a lie in, the women made a full English breakfast, the men went to the pub, the women cooked a roast dinner, the men came home half drunk and ate it, the women washed up, the men fell asleep in front of the TV!

One of the many things I love about Spain is the idea of family. Sunday is a day that you spend with the family. You eat at the Grandparents’ home or go for a picnic. The WHOLE family are there every Sunday, the 6 brothers and their wives and children! All the women work together in the kitchen preparing a feast. The men work in the garden, preparing a fire etc. The children grow up really knowing their cousins and spend the whole day playing, not on computer games or watching TV, but really playing. The entire family sit around the tables chatting, telling stories and playing cards. As well as allowing the kids to be surrounded by the people they love, it shows them respect for the older members who tell stories of the “olden days”. If there are any problems, work to be done, or hurdles to overcome, the family resolve it together. They are a true family unit.

I understand that most of the expats out here in Spain don’t have their families around them however I still think that Sunday can be a time for family. A great thing to do is to spend a couple of hours every Saturday looking through family photos, recounting stories to each other, ringing loved ones for a few minutes or writing a letter to them. And yes I do mean writing a letter with real paper and a good pen!

In my opinion, those who have children out here should spend a day, or maybe a few hours, playing, talking or going out with the kids. If you look at your photos or videos of the kids and they are only of a holiday or Christmas, then maybe you need to do more on a Sunday with them!!

I, more than anyone, know how hard it is to prise that teenager from his Xbox 360 or that daughter from her mobile phone or laptop. Once you’ve managed to do this huge task, remaining calm while they moan about everything being sooooo boring, is the next hardest thing.

However, they always finally enjoy that day, afternoon or few hours, with you so it really is worthwhile.

But what to do? That’s a tricky one .... We live in Spain so let’s go to the beach. Do you know how many kids really don’t want to go! They live so close to one that now it’s really past it’s sell by date. “But Mom, the sand will get everywhere and there’s nothing to do there”.

I’ve learnt that one of the things the kids like most is to see Mom and Dad being stupid!

So take on the kids at a game of football, make an assault course around the garden for you and the kids and even the dog!, go for a picnic in the woods, collect sticks and pine cones and have a campfire when you get home (Letting the kids have a campfire gives you super brownie points), dance, make homemade face packs but most of all, laugh.

Remember that kids really do hate Sundays as Sunday is the day they realise they haven’t done their homework or revision. The clock is ticking away and so is their freedom away from school. I like to write them a schedule on a Sunday. This shows them the times that they have to do homework and the things we are going to do together in between.

For example:

11 – 12                  (kids don’t get up until late on a Sunday and neither do you!!) Shower and work out what homework there is to be done

12-1                       Cook a big sticky gooey dessert for after dinner. (Try to let them do this themselves)

1 – 2                       Homework (while you finish cooking the dinner. This means that you are there if they have any questions or want to revise with you)

2-3                          Lunch and chat.

3 – 3.30                 Homework (while you clean up from lunch)

3.30 – 4.30           Go out for a walk , play football etc (as long as it is outside weather permitting)

4.30 – 5.30           Homework

5.30 – 6.30           Play cards, chess, scrabble ...

6.30 – 7.30           Homework

7.30 – 8.30           Campfire

8.30 – 9.30           Read and then bed

The kids have done three and a half hours of homework but also had some really great quality time with you.   

Enjoy it!!