One of the great privileges of hosting this podcast has been interviewing some of my mothering mentors—women that I love and who I look to as an example when mothering gets rough. Janet Thompson was part of my childhood village—kind of a nucleus really. She just gathered in anyone who came into her orbit.
Janet and her husband Bill have six children: James, Joseph, Jennifer, John, Jaclyn, Jeffrey. Yes, all J names. Janet shared more about their names in episode 46: How She Names Her Kids. I was the same age as John, their fourth, so I got to join in the pool parties, raucous game nights, and general merriment at the Thompson home.
This was a defining characteristic of the Thompson family culture. Welcoming everyone to join in the joyful chaos. Now, as we discuss this topic, there will be some of you who wonder why anyone would want to invite this kind of chaos into their lives. No shame in that. In fact, if we all decided to be the party house, it wouldn’t work logistically. There would be no one to actually attend the party. But even if gathering the neighborhood at your house isn’t your thing, Janet has advice for just gathering and uniting your own family.
Here are Janet’s eight tips for gathering friends and family in every stage of motherhood.
1. Make your house the fun house.
2. Have an open door policy.
3. Relax and give your kids some freedom.
4. Make simple food.
5. Hold family meetings.
6. Expect your kids to attend each other’s events.
7. Take family vacations.
8. Plan family reunions.
