Building a Playbook of Excellent Captain Family Activities for Nights and Weekends.

Black-Pill · 2015-05-24T08:52:52+00:00

Weekend adventure trips; hiking, camping, discovery museums, children's zoos, local farmers markets and festivals, ect. Keep the activities in smaller venues and avoid big tourist destinations. If you can afford it, buy a cabin with basic facilities only and if you are near water you can try boating/ water-sports but don't buy, rent. I strongly suggest you stay away from water parks and large public pools (Think about it and the many reasons why, will become apparent). Good Luck

edit/add: For weekday nights have a family storytelling/reading hour, one or two nights a week.

tindermaster1986 · 2015-05-24T20:43:05+00:00

How are there any downvotes on this? Many Red Pillers didn't have the presence of a strong father in their lives, and this post merely helps guide those men looking to have an active role in their kids' upbringing.

TheRedPilsner · 2015-05-24T13:17:36+00:00

Home improvement projects. You could construct a brick pizza oven in your back yard.

The_Man11 · 2015-05-24T15:03:46+00:00

Exploring (hiking)

Build a campfire

home improvement

yardwork

fossil hunting

read NatGeo to them (they love this waaaay more than Elmo books)

camping

snow forts

sledding

let them help make cookies/cinnamon rolls etc

let them use the leaf blower

look for tadpoles/frogs/bugs/snakes

fishing

GayLubeOil · 2015-05-25T15:57:21+00:00

How about you read to your children on weekday nights. Buy a quality book from Folio Society and Easton Press and share the classics with your family. Count of Monte Cristo, Sherlock Holmes, Arabian Knights are all great books.

This is a great way to have fun while building reading and vocabulary skills.

Board games like monopoly, settlers of Catan and Chess are also a great idea.

You could also cook with your children.

The goal should be to provide your children with useful skills for adulthood.

The_Ralph · 2015-06-13T20:50:00+00:00

Weeknights are tough, especially as the week wears on. There's homework for the kids and then you're worn out from your day at the job and commuting. You don't say if the wife works, or not. If she does not have a job during the day, then you should have her helping out in your planning. If you're "captain-ing" she should certainly be "first-mating." IMO, you as the man don't have to shoulder this 100%. Having said that, I know from experience everyone in the family is looking to you.

You don't go into specifics, but I'm guessing you don't want to just turn on the TV and gather around that, but have things be a bit more interactive.

Board games are great for that. The last few years there've been many board games promoting cooperative style play. Monopoly/Risk games are great cutthroat games, not so much for family night. Here's a big list: http://www.theboardgamefamily.com/all-game-reviews/cooperative-games/

I've played Forbidden Desert. Very engaging and fun.

If your kids are more into consoles, try co-op/board games for the consoles. Mario-type games come to mind. Depends on your kids' age and likes, though.

Depending on your level of engagement, you could try getting a small pet. I'm thinking fish and/or gerbils or something like that. Hamster "balls" can be fun for a weeknight watch. Adult supervision required.

If you have a backyard, a backyard cookout/fire pit on a weeknight can be very relaxing and engaging. Get the football/frisbee out. Kids from 4 to 12 should want to engage.

Someone mentioned cooking already. I'll second that. Kids of all ages can and should be engaged in this activity. Help them pick their fav recipes. Learn new ones together. Clean up dishes/table together.

Besides board games try card games. My kids loved Phase 10. Do some googling and find what's new out there.

If you're close to a park go there on a weeknight after dinner. Better yet, plan with the wife a "night out" if you can afford it; get the kids out the door as soon as you get home from the job and get outside and then stop for burgers (Checkers/Rallys, something better than the dog food at McDonald's) for a treat; and/or go to a local ice cream shop, now that it's summer.

I stayed to weeknights here. Outside or inside your goal is engagement with them in playful/calming/engaging/normal life activities. Teach skills and have fun and get to know your children.

Edit: I like your idea of a "playbook" approach. A team has a playbook they keep returning to but uses many to mix it up. Good advice for anyone reading this. Build your list of up to 10 or 15 "things" then keep rotating. And it's ok to just flop and cook popcorn and watch a Netflix/Amazon movie, too.

2nd Edit: Starting a hobby with your children can be very rewarding for you and them. I remember painting a pre-cast Nativity set with my three youngest. It took us months to do. Start in August, build up to finishing it in December. Memories and a hand-painted set for life. Others: coins, comics, girls may like beading, anything you can do with your hands either on the kitchen table or in corner with 2-4 chairs and one of those foldable card tables.

3rd Edit: I wanted to note this: I have very fond memories of going to farms with my parents as a child for (seasonal) apply or strawberry picking. Great thing about this is that's it's time-constrained a bit, and I like that. Camping is an entire weekend. Apple/strawberry picking is a 2-4 hour trip or whatever you like. Pick up a homemade apple pie, too, at the market.

Sepean · 2015-05-24T08:56:15+00:00

Catch animals. Amphibians are great: tadpoles, frogs, salamander. They're easy to find and catch with a fishing net. Take them home for extra fun (research how to care for them first). You can also catch beetles by holding an upside down umbrella beneath flowery bushes/trees and shaking them violently.

RBuddDwyer · 2015-05-24T12:12:38+00:00

For younger kids, my go to rainy day activity is to take the kids to the local firehouse to meet the firefighters and see the apparatus. Most local fire departments love showing off the equipment, especially to kids. No appointment necessary, just call ahead to make sure they are not out in a call.

idle_reception · 2015-05-24T22:53:27+00:00

Basic auto repair (really any repairs/handyman work) Hunting or simply shooting clays Martial arts Cycling Kayaking Disc golfing (basket in the backyard for putting)

Really thing that gets the body moving and the mind thinking.

Shit my old man just took me out to the driving range today, first time in my life swinging a club. There were a half a dozen kids out there under 7 laughing their ass off at me for first couple buckets.

Title	Building a Playbook of Excellent Captain Family Activities for Nights and Weekends.
Author	Kickaxe
Upvotes	45
Comments	15
Date	May 24, 2015 8:08 AM UTC (11 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/TheRedPill
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/TheRedPill/comments/372nzz/building_a_playbook_of_excellent_captain_family/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/TheRedPill/building-a-playbook-of-excellent-captain-family.32891 https://theredarchive.com/post/32891

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