Looking for ideas to amp up family date nights? Schedule a family mystery date! Mark your calendar and head back here to read about your secret challenge!
This is it. This is that family time you’ve been meaning to squeeze into your busy schedule!
Maybe you’ve been running around like a crazy person trying to do all the things and you just feel like you’ve been running in circles.
It’s time to take a BREATH. It’s time to slow down, throw your screens and devices in time out, and take some time to enjoy the beautiful gift that God has given you: your family.
I want to challenge you: JUST COMMIT TO ONE DAY out of each month to crowd out the noise. Commit to one day to truly look in the faces of your family members (not just stare at a screen with them).
“Take” your family “out” on a family mystery date!
This is the second family mystery date in this series. You can grab the first family mystery date challenge here.
How Do Family Mystery Dates Work?
Right before a new month begins, a new mystery date edition will be released. Stay tuned for the March 2024 edition!
For this family mystery date you will need to schedule a morning, afternoon, or evening once a month to spend time with your family.
You can download and/or print off the date details, but NO ONE in your family IS ALLOWED TO SNEAK A PEAK at the secret challenge before your date starts.
What this means is that as soon as your family date begins, every single member in your family will be reading or hearing about the challenge for THE VERY FIRST TIME. If anyone (even parents!) looks at the secret challenge before the date, that will be considered cheating (and won’t be nearly as much fun!).
In each edition you will find instructions, rules, and the secret challenge. Make sure you read the instructions and rules before reading the challenge.
How Can I Get My Family Involved?
Building suspense is one of the best ways to get your family members on board! Talk about it! Set a date and put it on your calendar. Get one of your kids to count down the days till the date begins. Anything that gets your family excited about doing something special together is bound to get some eager or curious volunteers!
What Should I Do about a Family Member Who Isn’t Interested?
It’s never easy to follow through with something when you have one or more family members who aren’t exactly on board. Let’s face it: it’s super discouraging!
But take heart! Keep fighting for special bonding time with your family; it’s so important! Don’t let negativity or disinterest get you down!
Here are a couple things you can try with your family members:
If a child is uninterested, require him/her to stay in the same room/place as the rest of the family. If an adult is uninterested, politely ask him/her if he/she would be willing to at least be in the same room/place as the family. Then, while the family is participating in the challenge, occasionally (and patiently) encourage the uninterested family member to join in on the fun. Eventually he/she may get tempted to participate! Be sure not to do this too many times, as it could possibly annoy the person and defeat the whole purpose. Your family member might need to see a few dates before his/her interest is sparked.
A second way to encourage a family member to participate is by having the whole family tell that member how much they would love for him/her to join in. They could let the uninterested person know that it would mean so much to the family for everyone to all be together. Sometimes encouraging and cheerful words alone can do the trick!
How Can I Get the Most Out of Our Family Mystery Dates?
Be Realistic
When you’re getting ready to plan your family mystery date, be realistic about the time you set aside for the date. Make sure that there is ample time to be able to spend with your family without worrying about running to the next appointment or activity. Remember this is a commitment to only one day out of the whole month.
I would also encourage you to be realistic about your family’s energy capacity. For example, if you know a particular day will be jam-packed with activities and events, you may not want to schedule a family date on that same day. You want to aim to schedule this date at a time when your family will have the time and energy to participate.
However, on the other side of reality, you may be so busy that your time slots may be very limited and HAVE to be squeezed into a hectic schedule. Sometimes life doesn’t cut you the slack you need. Yet, I want to still encourage you to look carefully and see if there might be something you could possibly cut out of your busy schedule. This would greatly aid in making this an enjoyable experience for your family!
Be Flexible
As you know, life is pretty unpredictable–especially when children are involved. You may have a family member fall sick on your date day. An event may have taken longer than you anticipated. Your family may not be very excited about your mystery date.
Be willing to be okay with your circumstances and do the best you can to work with what you have! This may mean you need to do things like postpone your date to a different date, possibly modify the challenge a bit to fit your family’s needs, or simply approach your situation from a different kind of angle. In the end, the physical, mental, and spiritual health of your family is what matters most.
Be Cheerful
Adults are running the roads hard. We don’t always feel like being the Energizer Bunny; however, if you can muster up at least a little cheer, that light-hearted attitude can be a beam of bright light and joy for the rest of your family.
Be Mindful
No matter what happens, always keep the main goal in mind: spending time with those you love. This is always our aim, despite the things that can go awry. Don’t expect perfection.
Just plan seeds of togetherness one day at a time.
Blessings to you and your family! Have a good time together and stay tuned for the next edition!
