Several summers in a row, we hosted a half dozen teenage woodworking students from a good friend's high school program two states away. The top performers in the class were invited to submit essays and applications for full-ride scholarships to Andy Chidwick's week-long woodworking camp in Montana--a very big deal for these city kids. They worked long hours in the woodshop, but they also got to hike, swim in the river, and sit around the campfire in the evenings. Each summer we asked the students what the best part of the week had been. EVERY YEAR, the students reached the same conclusion: the best part of the week was eating meals together around the table, saying grace and passing dishes around "like the families on TV." None of them did that in their own homes. Every year. It amazed us every time.
Good ideas and reinforcement. Particularly important to me is your suggesting that hospitality, while simple, does need to be intentional. Welcoming your spouse can change you life! Thanks for reminding me. If I am so stressed from preparing for hospitality, I become a poor version of myself, best I look at simplifying the preparation.
Pat, thanks for your comment. You truly know how to welcome people, and I've been the recipient of your warm hospitality and delicious croissants! Agree, it has to be intentional, and also inclusive--meaning it includes your spouse!
We were the house our kids’ friends wanted to hang out at. We purposefully stocked the fridge with sodas and the cupboard with snacks, and made it freely available to all. Having a swimming pool didn’t hurt either.
I love it! I've had friends tell me that hospitality feels pressured, like they're going to be judged. Wonderful thing about teens: they are not judging you. As long as there are snacks, they think you're awesome.
I enjoy having friends and family in and try to enjoy the experience instead of worrying whether everything is perfect. I like to think people feel comfortable and at home when they visit.
Excellent article Keri! And such a good reminder for everyone. When we were raising our four sons, we always made our house the best place for kids to hang out. I never minded having our son’s friends over at our house. I even heard parents comment that they were happy when their kids were at our house because they knew the Duecks was a safe place.
We made evening meal time a high priority too.
I hope younger parents take this article to heart.
Thanks Debbie. It strikes me that you provided a sort of welcome to the parents. Knowing their kid is welcome and safe is a way of offering hospitality to the parents.
Several summers in a row, we hosted a half dozen teenage woodworking students from a good friend's high school program two states away. The top performers in the class were invited to submit essays and applications for full-ride scholarships to Andy Chidwick's week-long woodworking camp in Montana--a very big deal for these city kids. They worked long hours in the woodshop, but they also got to hike, swim in the river, and sit around the campfire in the evenings. Each summer we asked the students what the best part of the week had been. EVERY YEAR, the students reached the same conclusion: the best part of the week was eating meals together around the table, saying grace and passing dishes around "like the families on TV." None of them did that in their own homes. Every year. It amazed us every time.
Sherry
I love this so much. What an amazing ministry to those kids!
Good ideas and reinforcement. Particularly important to me is your suggesting that hospitality, while simple, does need to be intentional. Welcoming your spouse can change you life! Thanks for reminding me. If I am so stressed from preparing for hospitality, I become a poor version of myself, best I look at simplifying the preparation.
Pat, thanks for your comment. You truly know how to welcome people, and I've been the recipient of your warm hospitality and delicious croissants! Agree, it has to be intentional, and also inclusive--meaning it includes your spouse!
We were the house our kids’ friends wanted to hang out at. We purposefully stocked the fridge with sodas and the cupboard with snacks, and made it freely available to all. Having a swimming pool didn’t hurt either.
I love it! I've had friends tell me that hospitality feels pressured, like they're going to be judged. Wonderful thing about teens: they are not judging you. As long as there are snacks, they think you're awesome.
I enjoy having friends and family in and try to enjoy the experience instead of worrying whether everything is perfect. I like to think people feel comfortable and at home when they visit.
Diana
I think that's it exactly--focus on letting people feel "at home" instead of "impressed with your home" and that's what matters. Thanks for sharing!
Excellent article Keri! And such a good reminder for everyone. When we were raising our four sons, we always made our house the best place for kids to hang out. I never minded having our son’s friends over at our house. I even heard parents comment that they were happy when their kids were at our house because they knew the Duecks was a safe place.
We made evening meal time a high priority too.
I hope younger parents take this article to heart.
Thanks Debbie. It strikes me that you provided a sort of welcome to the parents. Knowing their kid is welcome and safe is a way of offering hospitality to the parents.