Summer-Time Feng Shui for Parents

Feng Shui business does have a cyclic pattern to it---very busy in the fall, the first of the year, and spring. Over the holidays, everyone’s schedule gets busy and money may be more of an issue. I get fewer calls during the summer as well because the kids are home from school, people are traveling, doing yard-work, going up to a cabin somewhere. No time for Feng Shui.

However this is the exact time when some Feng Shui principles would be effective to help parents maintain their balance amid the frenzy that comes with extra activities and disrupted routines. Here are a few tips:

1. Parents should have a headboard. The headboard is a significant statement about feeling supported. It should be made out of wood with no opening or slats in order to maintain a symbolic message of continuous support.

2. Remove children’s photos from the bedroom. The parents’ bedroom is a private place for them. Photos of anyone other than the people who sleep in this room should be removed. This is a statement about setting boundaries and being able to say “no” when needed.

3. Keep some areas of the house off-limits to toys and games. When the kids take over the entire house with their play-things, it signifies that they have taken over in a bigger way. The “kid energy” should be contained to not only confirm boundaries but also to teach them responsibility.

4. Make sure the master bedroom is nurturing. This is the time for the parents to ask themselves if they like their bedroom. From deliberate color choices to usable and appropriate furniture, the bedroom should be the adults’ favorite room in the house.

5. Keep the kitchen table clear of clutter. Maintain an element of control over the chaos of summer-time by refusing to let clutter gather on the kitchen table. Since this is the area where the family eats together and talks to one another, it should be treated with respect.

Implementing one or two of these tips can help parents keep a handle on summer-time chaos. When routines seem to be non-existent, integrating a few Feng Shui ideas can create areas of firm stability.

Summer-Time Feng Shui

If it hasn’t happened already, school will be out soon. For some parents this means kids hanging around the house all day, kids getting bored, kids needing to be entertained, chauffeured, and accommodated. Rather than let this be a time of turmoil and anxiety, this is a good opportunity to incorporate some Feng Shui. Without the constraints of a school schedule, both parents and children could appropriately mark the passage of time in the child’s life by making corresponding changes in their bedroom.

Here are some questions to get the ball rolling:
Is their bedroom still age-appropriate? Summer vacation is a great time to acknowledge a passage in the child’s life. In a few months they will be heading into another level of education, taking on more responsibilities, taking another step closer to leaving the nest. Do they still have ducks on the wall? Is their comforter still covered with the images of toy trucks? Perhaps it’s time to mature the room a bit to help the child mature.

Is their bedroom conducive to good study habits? It is a parent’s responsibility to provide their child with a place to lay their heads at night. It is a parent’s gift to their child to provide them with the means of getting a good education. This message can be transmitted by making sure there is a place to study or at least a spot where they can pile their books, their back-pack or school bag. Whether they study there or not is not as important as the message about the option they have. And perhaps they will indeed find it a comfortable spot in which to crack the books.

Do they like their room? Over the summer invite your child to discuss what they like or dislike about their room. It might be solved with something as simple as a coat of paint. Some things may never be able to be changed, but sometimes an extra dresser for storage, or a different color comforter on the bed could make all the difference.

By making positive changes in a child’s life in their own personal space, positive changes can also be forthcoming in their lives as they return to school in the fall, older and better supported.

Still Being Positive

As a follow-up to my last email when I complained about being interviewed on a radio show and then being preempted by the weather and a topic that had been discussed prior, I will now tell you what I would have talked about had things gone a bit more smoothly.

I was asked to come on the mid-day talk show to give some Feng Shui tips on what people can do in their work environment to create a more positive space in order to counteract the negative news that swirls around us daily. Here are the five talking points:

1. Deal with your clutter. This is a good time to deal with this stuff—in your office, on your desk. Some people have found themselves without a job at all, so they have some time on their hands. Here is an opportunity to go through those shelves, that file cabinet, those drawers in order to make room for new possibilities.

2. Change something in your office. This can run the gamut of changing the furniture all around or simply re-arranging the top of your desk. When your space changes, it changes the vibrational pattern inherent in a room/office/cubicle, which in turn changes the way you think opening you up to some new ideas.

3. Use your front door. The front door represents new opportunities coming in. Keep that door moving to maximize the security of your current job or the hopes of a better one. If it’s inconvenient to use the front door, use it as often as you can, assure that it’s easy to open and that it has a color that you love.

4. Check out your bedroom. Although this isn’t specific to the office, the bedroom still impacts your work since it’s the room where you sleep, rest, and dream. Remove everything under the bed for better flow around you; keep the closet doors closed at night to minimize the chaos coming from your clothes; remove the computer and/or television from the bedroom (even if temporarily) to maintain the quiet safety that you want in there.

5. Wear red. Red is an active color and, in the Chinese tradition, a successful color. If you don’t like red or don’t look good wearing red or any of its shades, then wear the color underneath, i.e. red cami or red boxer shorts. The active color will keep your spirits up and your enthusiasm high.

Disclaimer: These suggestions are not a substitute for doing good work at the place where you already have a job, or updating your resume and going on interviews. However Feng Shui can support your efforts to secure or hold a position you love and/or one which will ride you through the economic troubles.