Why You Don't Need to Bother with Labor Day Plans

If you don’t, you might be in for treat this weekend.

Let me explain why.

Some weeks ago, the Wall St. Journal ran an interesting piece, “The Rewards of a Spontaneous Family Adventure.” I’m a big fan of impromptu events, so I appreciated the premise:

“So much of parenting is about structure and setting limits, and all of this is important. Sometimes, though, it’s good to say, ‘What the heck’ and break out of what we normally do,’ says William Doherty, a professor of family social science at the University of Minnesota and author of ‘The Intentional Family.’”

The piece makes the case for throwing caution to the wind every now and then and having a “bit over the top” spur-of-the-moment family event that will give you memories for years to come.

And if the outing bombs because it’s unplanned?

It can become an even better story!

But I know that for every embrace-the-adventure parent like me, there’s another parent like my wife, Jean: Responsible. Cautious. A planner. (And these characteristics are all good things, by the way. I appreciate how my wife balances me out.)

That’s why I wanted to share this story today, Friday. Labor Day will be observed on Monday. This means you planners out there still have a bit of time to do your thing, while still preserving some of the spontaneous feel.

So if you didn’t have plans for Labor Day… I hope you do now!

But whatever you decide to do, I do wish your family a safe, fun weekend together.

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Publication date: September 2, 2016