Okay, so let’s talk about this “Taylor family vision” thing we did. It wasn’t some grand plan handed down from a consultant or anything. Honestly, things just felt a bit… scattered. You know? Like everyone was pulling in different directions, especially after the whole world went sideways a while back. We were just reacting, not really heading anywhere specific.
I remember thinking one evening, watching the kids glued to their screens and my spouse looking worn out, that we needed something to hold onto. A kind of family compass. I’d read somewhere, maybe some parenting blog or whatever, about families creating a vision. Sounded a bit corporate, but the idea stuck. So, I thought, why not give it a shot? The Taylor family needed some kind of shared idea of what we were about.
Getting Started – The Hard Part
First off, getting everyone on board was like herding cats. Seriously. Mentioned it at dinner one night. Got the eye-rolls from the teenagers, of course. My spouse was like, “Do we really have time for this?” Fair point, we never seem to have time. But I pushed for it. Said we’d just try it for an hour one weekend.
So, Saturday afternoon, I dragged everyone into the living room. Pulled out a big flip chart pad I borrowed from work. Felt a bit silly, standing there with a marker pen. The first session? A total bust. Mostly awkward silence, then jokes, then arguments about whose turn it was to talk. Didn’t get anywhere near a “vision”.
Trying Again – Finding Our Groove
Didn’t give up, though. Tried again the next weekend. This time, I changed tactics. Less formal. Put on some music, got snacks. Instead of “What’s our vision?”, I asked simpler stuff:
- What makes you happy about being in this family?
- What are things we’re good at together?
- If we could wave a magic wand, what’s one thing we’d want for our family in the future?
That worked a bit better. We started writing things down. Some were small, like “have more game nights.” Some were bigger, like “be kinder to each other” or “save up for a real vacation.” It wasn’t smooth sailing. There were still disagreements. Someone always felt someone else’s idea was dumb. But we were actually talking, for real.
We ended up having maybe three or four of these mini-sessions over a month. Just grabbing an hour here and there. Slowly, themes started popping up. Stuff about supporting each other, trying new things, being honest, and making time for fun. It wasn’t rocket science, just basic stuff really.
What We Ended Up With
In the end, we didn’t write some fancy mission statement. It felt too stiff. We just boiled down all the notes into a few bullet points. Simple phrases. We called it “Our Taylor Way” or something like that. Things like:
- Stick together, even when it’s tough.
- Try new things, don’t be afraid to mess up.
- Speak kindly, listen better.
- Make room for fun and weirdness.
- Help others when we can.
We typed it up, printed it out – nothing fancy, just plain paper – and stuck it on the side of the fridge. Not exactly front and center, but it’s there.
So, Did It Work?
Look, it’s not magic. Sticking a paper on the fridge didn’t suddenly make us the perfect family. We still argue. The kids still spend too much time online. Life is still chaotic. But… it’s something. A reminder. Sometimes, when we’re making a decision, like about spending money or how to spend a weekend, one of us might actually point to the list. “Does this fit with our Taylor Way?”
Honestly, the best part might have been the process itself. Just sitting down, forcing ourselves to talk and listen. It wasn’t easy, sometimes it was downright annoying, but we did it together. It sort of cleared the air a bit. Made us feel more like a team, even a slightly dysfunctional one.
So yeah, that’s the story of our “Taylor family vision”. No consultants, no complicated frameworks. Just us, a flip chart, some snacks, and a bit of effort. It’s messy, it’s simple, but it’s ours. And it’s definitely better than just drifting along.
