• About
  • Books
  • One Word
    • One Word
    • Shop One Word Cards
  • Cousin Camp
  • Speaking
  • Audio
  • Blog
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
Susan Alexander Yates

Susan Alexander Yates

Wisdom for Every Season

  • Character
  • Faith
  • Family
  • Seasons
  • Marriage
  • Parenting
  • Cousin Camp
  • Ask Susan

It’s Time to Celebrate Family! Advice for Planning Your Time Together

by Susan Alexander Yates

Spring is in the air, the pandemic is lessening, we are longing to be with family again!  Finally, it’s time to celebrate and bring back family reunions!

  • What type of gathering is reasonable to consider? 
  • Who should we invite? 
  • How can we pull this off when things could change at any minute? 

So many questions. 

However, there are answers and there is HOPE!

God knows that one of our greatest longings is that we raise close-knit families. We long to be close to our grandchildren. And want them to know one another — their cousins. We ourselves want to see our siblings, and to connect with extended family members we have not seen in a long time.

It’s time to celebrate Family!

Where do we begin?

4  Things To Consider:

1. Who is your priority for a gathering? Grandchildren, siblings, others?

If you are married, determine this together. If you are single, talk with a close family member who might help. 

Cousin Camp 2016

2. Once you decide the “who” determine the date and the place to gather.

Depending on the “who” you will need to run some dates by those involved. Calendars are complicated, particularly if this will involve travel.

Don’t expect to get a 100 percent attendance. Go with the majority.

Where you gather will be determined by the type of reunion you are planning. One friend used a state park for a one-day extended family reunion. A set of grandparents took 3 granddaughters from 3 different families to a cabin the woods for a long weekend. One summer we hosted John’s 3 siblings and their wives and a close first cousin and his wife at a farm for an adult weekend.  

3. Guard against discouragement.

It’s easy to think, “But my family is a mess! My home of origin was strange. Our extended family is dysfunctional. My kids or grandkids might not want to gather. There is friction between some of them.” 

The truth is there is no perfect family. We are all a mess to some degree. Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest are only images. Behind every perfect photo is a self-centered person. One who has used ugly words, done awful things, hurt other people, and even discovered they don’t like themselves very much.

It helps to remember that God is not shocked by your situation, by your wounds, or by your history. He’s seen it all. And there’s nothing He can’t forgive, nothing He can’t change, and no one He can’t heal. As Luke says,

 For nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37 ESV)

So, no matter where you come from or your current marital status, you can be the first generation of a healthy family.

How can this happen? Well, to begin with you must become intentional. And you have to become dependent on the Lord. 

Planning a family gathering is one way to build strong bonds and to set the stage for a deepening closeness amongst family members. Taking these steps to be together could have a positive impact on your future generations. God is good and His desire is that our legacy will become one of people who love Him and love each other.  (Matthew 22: 36-39)

4. Gather some ideas. And go for it!

We have 5 grown children — all married — and 21 grandchildren. Years ago we began hosting an annual “Cousin Camp.” We wanted our grandchildren from families living in different places to know one another. And we wanted focused time with them without their parents.

You must be age four to come to our camp. We started with five children and the past three summers all twenty-one of our grandchildren have attended. Recently we celebrated our eleventh year of camp. 

We’ve made lots of mistakes, shed tears, laughed uproariously, thrown out plans, separated quarreling kids, cheered when kindness overcame selfishness, and fallen into bed exhausted, but above all we’ve had a blast. Seeing two girl cousins who used to fight like cats now snuggling on our bedroom floor in sleeping bags, giggling together makes it all worth it. 

I’ve written extensively about this time with our grandchildren in my book Cousin Camp. 

It is full of ideas to enable you to devise a plan suited to your own situation. Including:  

  • How to develop your vision for your family gathering
  • Balancing realistic expectations with surprises
  • Ways to design a schedule, including sample daily schedules
  • Developing your special traditions: For example, a Buddy system (matching older cousins with younger ones), your county’s largest banana split, sample Bible studies with kids, creating nick names, scavenger hunts, a whip cream fight, a special “closing ceremony.”

This book is not only about our Cousin Camp. There is a whole section on different types of reunions including specific examples of how others have done them. Every family is unique and there is not one way to do things. We need the ideas of others.

I’m particularly thankful to my friend Judy who is a bit older than I am but who took me under her wing and encouraged me to start a camp for our grandkids like she had done for many years with hers.  

My prayer is that God would encourage you to initiate a family gathering in the very near future.

  • Get all the info about my Cousin Camp book here. 
  • Read all my blogs about Cousin Camp here.

Save this post on Pinterest:

Share48
Pin10
Tweet
Email
Print
58Shares
Share48
Share
Pin
Text
58Shares

You may also enjoy...

Cousin Camp, Family
March 16, 2022 · Leave a Comment

« Two Dangerous Phrases That Can Keep You Trapped in Fear and Regret
Confronting Evil: 2 Sin Traps to Avoid and 5 Truths About Our Enemy »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hello, I’m Susan.

Susan Alexander Yates

I’m a wife (of 50 years), mom to five children (including a set of twins), and grandmother to 21 (including a set of quadruplets!). My favorite time of the year is when all my kids and grandkids are together for a week of “cousins and family camp” in the foothills of the Shenandoah Mountains of Virginia.

Read more…

Recent Posts

  • 5 Things We Know for Sure, No Matter What
  • Raising Your Kids to Leave Well: 6 Things to Consider
  • Confronting Evil: 2 Sin Traps to Avoid and 5 Truths About Our Enemy
  • It’s Time to Celebrate Family! Advice for Planning Your Time Together
  • Two Dangerous Phrases That Can Keep You Trapped in Fear and Regret

One Word

One Word: Sufficient

Featured Book

Cousin Camp

Cousin Camp
Buy This Book Online
30% Off
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Barnes and Noble
Buy from Christian Book Distributor
Buy from Lifeway
Buy from Books-A-Million
Buy from GoodReads
Cousin Camp
Buy now!

Barbara & Susan’s Guide to the Empty Nest: Discovering New Purpose, Passion & Your Next Great Adventure

Barbara & Susan’s Guide to the Empty Nest: Discovering New Purpose, Passion & Your Next Great Adventure
Buy This Book Online
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Barbara & Susan’s Guide to the Empty Nest: Discovering New Purpose, Passion & Your Next Great Adventure
Buy now!
  • Certainty In Christ
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Media Kit
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site Index

Search

Popular

  • What Every Wife Needs: Two Simple Things to Tell…
  • You are the Parent, Not Your Child: How to Discipline
  • Do You Need Fresh Hope for This New Year? 4 Things Will Help

Eleanor and Campbell are learning 5 things they ca Eleanor and Campbell are learning 5 things they can know for sure about God and having fun doing it!

If you want to see what they're learning, check out my blog: 5 Things You Can Be Sure of in a Season of Uncertainty. Link in bio! (Or go to susanalexanderyates.com/blog)

#christianwomen #christianfaith #christianwoman #bedeeplyrooted #womenintheword #shereadstruth #womenoftheword #belovedlife #womenoffaith #gritandvirtue #choosejoy #lampandlight #biblestudy #bibleteaching #biblicaltruth #christianwriter #christianwriters #christianlife  #pursuewhatislovely #christians #sheislight
ONE WORD: New ONE VERSE: “Remember not the for ONE WORD: New
 
ONE VERSE:
“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43: 18-19
 
ONE THOUGHT:
Father, sometimes I get tired of me. Today, I ask you to do something NEW within me. I long to see YOU in new ways. Today I ask that you would give me an expectant heart that looks to you for new things in this season.
We have five children and I have been trying to we We have five children and I have been trying to wear out five Bibles. I am on my fifth and my goal is to have heavily marked and heavily worn Bibles for each one of my children when I am gone. 
I know you can read your Bible on your iPhones but there’s something very special about having a heavily marked Bible to share with your kids and grandkids so I encourage you to use paper Bibles and mark them up when you’re having your own quiet times. Use your cell phones for when you’re stuck in traffic or in an office or carpool line—just a thought.
If there was one word to describe our lives today If there was one word to describe our lives today it might be *uncertainty.*⁣
⁣
We are uncertain about the potential of full-scale wars, economic upheaval, political divisions, racial unrest, school shootings, protest mobs, immigration crises, and the never-ending possibility of a new virus. Big issues which cause angst.⁣
⁣
Closer to home we don’t know about our own finances, our job security, the health of those we love, our concern for a child who has strayed, or the uncertainty of a child’s future as he leaves home for the first time.⁣
⁣
Uncertainty can cause us or our children to fear. To imagine the worst. To look for control that we do not have. To wonder if anyone understands.⁣
⁣
We long for a sense of security, for something to hold onto. And so do our children.⁣
⁣
Amid personal and international uncertainty there are *5 things that we can know for sure* -- and I'm sharing them on the blog this week! Link in bio or go to susanalexanderyates.com/blog to check it out!
My grand puppy Opie is a dog of the Word…sort of My grand puppy Opie is a dog of the Word…sort of! 😜
When your child leaves home, beware of falling int When your child leaves home, beware of falling into one of these two extremes:⁣
⁣
A “helicopter parent” is one who is constantly texting, tweeting, emailing her child -- advising on daily activities and many decisions. ⁣
⁣
Although she wants her child to be self confident she is actually undermining her confidence by making too many decisions and this communicates to the child, "You may not make the right decision so I will make it for you." This is not healthy for the child.⁣
⁣
Another trap is that of a “hands off parent.” Her attitude may be, "I raised her to be independent and now she’s gone so I’ll wait until I hear from her. She now is on her own to make decisions." ⁣
⁣
Weeks can go by without any communication. This is too extreme. You need to be involved in major decisions -- rooming, grades, and health. A weekly phone call is a good idea.⁣
⁣
This is just a small piece of what I'm sharing in the blog this week -- 6 things to consider as you Raise Your Child to Leave Well. Check it out! Link in bio.
ONE WORD: Works ONE VERSE: The Lord works righte ONE WORD: Works

ONE VERSE:

The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. 
Psalm 103:6
 
ONE THOUGHT:

Even when I can’t see it, you are working while I am waiting.
Nature gives us so many pictures of God! Here’ s Nature gives us so many pictures of God! Here’ s a photo I took last week. 

Spring? Maybe not! We must persevere!            

“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Hebrews 12:1-2
As college acceptances and denials arrive we are a As college acceptances and denials arrive we are a mix of emotions. And so is our senior!⁣
⁣
Change is in the air whether it’s a job, a gap year or college looming on the horizon. Other parents have kids preparing to go in the fall to middle or high school or even preschool. Time does not stand still. Our kids are growing! And at some time in the future they will be leaving us.⁣
⁣
How well I remember driving away from the dorm after leaving Susy at college. Just the week before we had left Libby, her twin and soul mate, at another college. These were the last of our five children. ⁣
⁣
My husband John had planned a romantic night at a mountain inn on the way home. Not a good decision. Instead, I cried all the way home. My poor husband. It was not just the fact that my last were leaving it was also the pain of their being separated for the first time ever. It had been their decision and it proved to be a wise one in their maturity but at the time all I felt was grief.⁣
⁣
From the time our child is born we know this day will come and part of raising them involves preparing them to leave - as healthy, confident adults. But most of us don’t factor in the sadness it will bring us!⁣
⁣
Some parents coddle their children too much and others give too much freedom too soon. Our challenge is finding the balance. Raising kids who will be ready to leave involves intentional planning at each stage of their development. ⁣
⁣
On the blog this week, I'm sharing 6 things to consider as you Raise Your Child to Leave Well -- check it out! Link in bio.

Copyright © 2022 · Susan Alexander Yates · All Rights Reserved
Calligraphy by Jessica Blanchard · Paintings by Christen Yates
Blog and Ask Susan Photo by Natalie Puls Photography · Books Photo by Cambria Elizabeth

FREE Ebook: 100 Activities for Your Kids!

I have a gift for you! Camp at Home includes 100 things for you to do with your kids of different ages, from toddlers to teens.
Join my email list now to get Camp at Home for FREE!

58Shares
58Shares
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkayPrivacy Policy