How many times a year, a day for that matter, do you wish your children would find another location to fight and squabble? Better yet. Have you ever tried to come up with creative ways to teach them about the world and how to live and thrive in it? Children are awesome! They teach us daily, if we let them.
However, in the end, we as parents are the ones responsible for teaching them. It’s not an easy task, to say the least, and some of us are just not very good at it. (I just raised my hand.) Sending your children on a retreat could be just the help you are looking for. Here are a few reasons why.
Making Friends
As a child at his/her first retreat, the first obstacle they are going to have is making new friends. This is difficult for most people, including adults. However, the process can force your children out of their comfort zone and help them learn to navigate the waves of social interaction.
Once new friends are made, your kids are bound to have a good, clean boost of self-esteem. Friends made at a retreat can become lifelong connections. A yearly retreat may be the only time your children get to see these friends, but it will be the main thing that keeps them coming back every year.
Also, having friends from so many different places can offer your children a new perspective on life. Every family has its own little culture. Your children can learn a lot about the world around them just by making new friends at a retreat.
Rest And Relaxation
Children endure just as much stress as we do. Sometimes more and it can have a detrimental effect on how they look at themselves and the world around them. Every once and awhile, they just need a break. A retreat is usually overloaded with opportunities for your children to chill out.
There are game rooms, fishing trips, boating, horseback riding, go carts, and teachings that can show your children how to handle the most burdensome times in their lives. A retreat for your children offers you a chance to relax, as well.
In the time they are away, you have the chance to just spend some time sleeping in, getting caught up, or sitting in a dark room breathing (if that’s your thing.)
Diving Into Nature
In today’s world, playing outside seems to be something that children grow out of about the time they are first introduced to a gaming console. For some, that can be as early as three years old. It’s sad really.
Just a couple hours out in the sun or rain (minus the lightning) is beneficial exercise, can boost their self-esteem and overall mood, and can teach them daily problem solving and social skills they would not get otherwise. A retreat, in most cases, is set in the outdoors.
Children are exposed to fresh air on a daily basis and the gaming consoles and ipads are a rarity on purpose. Many youth retreats offer outside fun like hikes, canoeing, rock climbing, and rappelling for older children.
So, if you’re still looking for a little reliable help in the parenting department, check into the youth retreat options in your area. Your kids will be learning the whole time they are having fun.
