How I’m Learning To Appreciate The Little Things In 2020

We've made a lot of changes around our house this year. We've banned YouTube, took away iPods, and started limiting time spent watching TV or playing video games. While in 2020 that may sound extreme, it's actually been the best thing for our family.

We've started coming up with new things to do as a family. Since we aren't going out as much anymore, we've had to get creative.

The recent big hit with all of our kids has been the record player.

I have a small record player (it's nothing special) and an okay record collection. One day while putting on a record, my four year old daughter insisted on being taught how to operate the record player.

I let her pick out a record. Then I taught her how to put it on the record player, line up the needle, and make it play. She was so proud of being able to work it all by herself.

The record she picked out was 'Legend' from Bob Marley. She loves Bob.

Our older two kids decided they also had to learn how to work the record player. I walked them through the process, letting them make mistakes and fix them on their own along the way.

Now, every night when I get home I'm greeted with a different record playing. The whole family is gathered in the living room listening to music and taking turns picking out which record to play next.

The baby sits in his jumper and just soaks it all in.

If there's a point to all of this, it's that this simple little daily ritual has reminded how important the little things are. It also has really helped me relax.

If you're feeling stressed, find a way to share something you love with those you care about. It might just be the very thing you were needing.