Family Friday Newsletter - 3 min read by: Finley Robinson

A Single Sentence from a Season Ahead

Highest Leverage

If you had 45 minutes to sit across the lunch table with anyone today, who would you choose?

• A lunch date with your spouse?
• A quick catch-up with a best friend?
• A week recap with your business partner?
• A mentor that you haven't talked with in a while?

I have found there is something special about Friday lunch plans. It's the hinge between our weekly rhythm and weekend plans. There is a different spirit and air about Friday lunch.

When our kids were in elementary school, my wife and I decided we were going to go all in on Friday lunch with our kids. It was a way to slingshot our time together as a family over the weekend.

I had the privilege of working a 1/2 day most Fridays when our kids were in that season and we made frequent visits to their school for lunch. We'd make a sheet of bagel bites, grab some grapes, and show up with it in our basket.

I recognize that not all parents can do this. If you can though, I believe if you show up semi-often, you'll understand why it's such a significant family building opportunity.

Sure it involves sticky floors and lots of noise but it could be your highest leverage lunch all week. I use that word on purpose. To have leverage means that you get outsized results from the effort you put forth.

Consider this... 45 minutes spent in your child's school lunchroom has an amazing amount of built-in leverage for you as a parent.

9 Reasons We Visited School Lunches

1. You get to meet their friends. In the early years of school, so many new friendships are formed. You will witness the variety of kids your kids interact with every day & can process it with them.
   ​
2. You can be a joy-giver in a place of difficulty. Teachers are outnumbered and lunchtime is typically chaotic. Play a game of "Would You Rather?" at the table and watch the smiles show up.
   ​
3. You develop empathy for their world. Admittedly, it's been a long time since you've been in school. Getting a first-hand account of their everyday life at school is good for your relationship.
   ​
4. You can connect with teachers and spot needs. If you have the means, via your time or your resources, lunch is a gateway to discover more opportunities of need than you realize.
   ​
5. You build long-term community relationships. Young kids have an amazing memory. When you frequent their lunch table, neighborhood kids will remember you well into high school.
   ​
6. You get bonus time with your kids. Being able to spend 1-1 time at lunch or including their friends at a table, means you're able to have unique time and conversations with your kids.
   ​
7. You emphasize family priorities. By choosing to build in extra family time during the work week, you demonstrate what's ultimately the most important.
   ​
8. You slingshot into the weekend. As kids get older, they are involved in more and more weekend activities. Spending extra time together before tournaments and competitions is beneficial.
   ​
9. You make Fridays special. *It doesn't have to be Friday that you visit lunch, but if it is, you change the day's narrative instantly. It gives your kids something to look forward to at week's end.
   ​

Frequent school lunch with your kids isn't for everyone. I remember an older dad suggested it to me when I was in your stage of family and I'm so thankful he did.

We tried it and eventually adopted it as a value and habit for our home. Yes it is awkward and you'll get plenty of strange looks, but the payoff is huge!

It became a tradition for us to eat lunch with our kids most Family Fridays and to this day I've never regretted it one time. In fact, I may need to go buy my college kids lunch right now, for old-time's sake.

See you next Friday - Finley

PS. When you read an email that connects with your family or season, would you mind forwarding it to a few friends who are also in their power-decade of parenting? I'd love to continue to share these short stories and lessons we learned with other parents like yourself. Thanks!