My Year of 100 Family Dinners Week 36: Dinner #83

Homecoming and Motherhood Moments

This week was Homecoming week and with it, all the usual routines: football practice, dance class, drama club, doctor’s appointments… plus a 3 hour drive for one of those visits. Living in the mountains of Arizona, when your son’s specialists are in Phoenix, that drive becomes part of life. It’s long, yes, a three hours roundtrip for a 20-minute visit, but I’ve come to value that time. It’s a quiet window to listen to music, chat with the kids, catch up on podcasts, or just let the silence settle.

This week felt like a blur. But within the blur were big moments:

• Thursday morning brought the homecoming parade. My son rode on a float, my daughter and I stood on the sidelines watching the small-town floats roll by. I love a parade. I love the simple ritual of community leaning in toward fun, together.

  
  

• I watched my son manage his over-stimulation with heart and honesty. He presses on in a world wired for “on,” but knows when he’s reached his limit and at home, with me, he’s allowed to feel it. As parents we get the brunt of the bad moods, the frustration, the meltdown but also the safe release, the honest tears, and the grounding that comes from feeling seen. It is hard as a parent to process, but good for the kids to have a safe space.

  
  

Parents are the safe place. When our kids feel accepted, even when they’re not at their best, they show us their real selves. And that vulnerability builds trust, identity, and self-respect.

The next night was homecoming football, and thankfully we won. Saturday brought the homecoming dance. This year, both my kids went: my daughter for the first time, my son for the last time. It felt momentous. I held onto every moment; when the kids got ready, when we took pictures with the friends. I want to soak these moments in. I want to save each memory in my heart.

We had one family dinner this week. Monday night. It was simple, quick but it was ours. In the whirlwind of sports, school, care, and chaos, that one dinner became a quiet anchor.

It’s during these weeks of motion and movement that I’m reminded: connection doesn’t always happen at the dinner table. Sometimes it happens in car rides, walking to and from places, and quiet moments just before sleep. The real goal isn’t the dinner itself, it's presence. Showing up. Listening. Holding space.

Why Downtime & Quiet Helps Teens Thrive

There’s growing research showing that when teens have time to decompress, especially after packed schedules, it helps them regulate stress, manage emotions, and stay mentally healthy. For example:

• One article about after-school routines explains that when kids are constantly scheduled (tutoring, sports, clubs) with little downtime, it can lead to exhaustion, anxiety, and burnout. Experts recommend building in unscheduled, flexible time just for decompressing. (National Education Association)

• Teens and young adults often don’t get enough sleep during busy school seasons. Later school start times have been linked to improved mental and behavioral health, more sleep, and better overall well-being. (sph.umn.edu)

• Breaks: whether short brain breaks during homework or longer periods of rest and downtime: help students recharge. This leads to improved focus, reduced stress, and better emotional resilience. (Edutopia)

In our home, that looks like: soft music on a long drive, a quiet evening when toes hit the sheets, or cuddling under blankets on the couch. It doesn’t take a perfect rhythm, just enough grace to let our kids be kids.

The Heart of This Week

No big meals, no fantastic full-family dinners but quiet moments and memories that will last. Football, dance, floats, and midnight rides home. A son learning what balance looks like. A daughter dancing under the gym lights. Me, learning to see beauty in the messy, and hope in the in-between moments.

Someday I’ll look back at this and remember: connection isn’t always loud. It doesn’t always happen at the table.

Sometimes it happens between drives, under parade lights, or beside a bunk bed before sleep. And that, to me, is worth it all. 💛