It is the focal point of a new format in North Jutland, which we call the “parent relay”.
Here, the “baton” goes around among the region’s parents, who have to answer a series of questions.
The purpose of the “relay” is to make us smarter about each other – and perhaps even to be able to inspire.
Name: Camilla Løgtholt Nielsen
Children: Svend (2019) Bear (2021)
Married to: Loui Løgtholt Nielsen, who is a building designer and works as a project manager for Kai Andersen
Residence: Vejgaard
Alder: 1988 (age 36)
Stilling: Self-employed yoga teacher
What are you busy with in your family life right now?
I’m really into quiet and slow mornings. We are so privileged to not be in a rush to get out the door. It gives peace and security to be able to start the day calmly – and to have time for fun and good conversations.
I know it’s on borrowed time as our big boy is going to school this summer so we’ll cherish it for as long as possible.
Photo: Martél Andersen
More currently, I am concerned with how we get a new everyday life together after the summer holidays, when our youngest son Bjørn has started kindergarten, in the same place as his older brother.
And in addition, my husband, Loui, is in Kalundborg for three weekdays, so it’s a completely new everyday life.
It is important to me that the transition is as smooth as possible for the children, which is something I feel we succeed in, because I have the flexibility of being independent, while at the same time we have a large and very helpful family that helps to get the logistical puzzle to go up.
How do you get your everyday life together as a family?
It is a big priority for me that my children should be in institutions as little as possible.
It is important to me that I am with them more than the teachers in the kindergarten. Not because we are against institutional life – on the contrary, we love the boys’ kindergarten and the fantastically wonderful educators who make everyday life safe for them when they are there.
But the balance between family life and my independent yoga work is the biggest challenge at times. And especially now with a man who is gone for part of the week.
A challenge we solve because, among other things, we have granny Mondays, when she makes the journey from Aarhus to Aalborg and picks up the boys early, cooks with them and puts them to bed, so that I can drive to work and have my afternoon classes.
I am lucky to have a lot of work during the day, but I cannot avoid and do not want to miss afternoons, evenings and sometimes weekends as an independent yoga teacher, where I have weekend retreats and monthly weekend workshops a few times a year.
How do you cope with the pressure that can come with both work and parenthood?
Since we have prioritized as a family that I don’t work full-time, I also feel that we already save ourselves from the enormous pressure.
I am very aware that these are the ‘hardest’ years right now with small children, but also very special.
Loui Løgtholt Nielsen is a building designer and works as a project manager for Kai Andersen. Photo: Martél Andersen
As we know, time passes before we get to see each other, so it is important to me, e.g. to be able to have a day off with the boys weekly, both together and separately, where we do something they are interested in.
That freedom and opportunity is worth its weight in gold for all of us – and is enormously recharging for the sometimes stressed energy batteries.
What do you do to create quality time together as a family?
As far as possible, we try not to fill up our calendar too much, so there is time to just be and also be able to be spontaneous on the weekends.
We love being with family and friends, but also just the four of us. The boys have both attended the world’s best nature daycare, so we – and they – love nature and the outdoors.
Every Monday, grandma enjoys Svend and Bjørn. Photo: Martél Andersen
We use Signalbakken a lot, where there are both sheep, forest and beautiful nature all year round, it is everyday happiness to have it in the backyard.
In addition, we are lucky that the boys’ grandfather and grandmother have a summer house in Blokhus, so we also really enjoy taking a trip to the North Sea.
What is it like to have two kindergartners?
In many ways, we didn’t know what we were getting into when our big boy started kindergarten, but I have to say that we have been pleasantly surprised.
For us, it is a good balance that they have their days off and short days, but at the same time they are part of a fantastic community of other children and dedicated and loving adults who set the framework for a nice and safe everyday life.
The family does not have a tablet, so the children play. Inside and outside. Photo: Martél Andersen
It is worth its weight in gold for us to be able to leave there with peace of mind in the morning, and we feel lucky. We have only experienced good communication and that our children are seen and met at eye level, which is essential for the good cooperation that must be there for our children to be well-being.
Right now we are in a transition from daycare to kindergarten – and from kindergarten to school, so it’s something we talk about a lot. Both together as a family and together with the educators down in the kindergarten.
What does it mean to you to be a North Jutland family in today’s Denmark?
I myself grew up in Thise near Brønderslev and had a good childhood in the countryside myself. But I was already aware – before we had children – that we would like to give them an upbringing with more city life.
The family lives in Vejgaard. Photo: Martél Andersen
Here it has been perfect for us to find a house in Vejgaard, which is a bit of a town within the town. Everything we need is here, and we are within walking distance of everything we could wish for in terms of restaurants, swimming pool, nature and cultural experiences.
It is also important to me that the boys live close to their friends and, in the long term, their leisure interests.
What values are you trying to pass on to your children?
It is incredibly important to us to create a safe home where they can be allowed to explore and develop as the little independent people they are.
That we will support them on the path they choose to pursue. To guide them and set loving boundaries – teach them to say “yes” when they mean “yes” – and “no” when they mean “no”. So that is also something they learn to take with them into their lives.
What worries you most about being a parent today?
That I think society can sometimes feel as if we are constantly being measured and weighed in what is the right and wrong thing to do.
It can make it unreasonably difficult to find your own way of doing things, because you can quickly feel judged. Surely we can all be worried about whether we are doing well enough, are good enough parents and good enough people?
– We are constantly being measured and weighed in what is the right and wrong thing to do. Photo: Martél Andersen
But in order for that worry and doubt not to spread – and also live in the next generation – it is important to replace the worry with the belief that we are doing well. It is also important to have greater curiosity and an open approach to each other, so that we might be inspired.
How do you deal with screen use and technology in your family?
It’s something that takes quite a bit of space as I feel like it’s quite a difficult balance.
Even if someone thinks otherwise, I feel that we have made it easy for ourselves not to have an iPad for example.
Our children are quite young, so we are in on everything that is seen, and I feel that is the important thing for us.
That it is not about so and so many minutes/hours per day, but more the quality of what they see.
I myself tend to be hopeless when it comes to technology, as I stick to having physical notebooks etc. It is both a freedom, but also a challenge as everything is digitized.
So it’s an important but difficult question, I think.
How do you find time for yourselves as a couple or individuals when family life is full?
It can be difficult to prioritize and look each other in the eye when everyday life is running.
We often talk about how it doesn’t always have to be a weekend trip or “something big”, but small things in everyday life where we get to check in with each other.
Once a year, Camilla and Loui go on a date trip. Photo: Martél Andersen
Everyday life is the one that has the most – and also where we quickly lose contact with each other. Besides that, we are both very “on” at our jobs, which means we need alone time to recharge.
I think we are good at giving each other that space – despite the fact that I have very variable working hours.
We try to take a romantic trip once a year. We traveled a lot together before we had children, so fortunately we have saved up quite a few experiences on that account.
What do you dream of for your family’s future?
Before we had children, I traveled around the world for several years, and although this means that I don’t have a lot of space right now, it is a big dream to show the boys the world, the diversity, different cultures and ways of living.
Svend and Bjørn love to cook with grandma Photo: Martél Andersen
Traveling and seeing the world has shaped me to where I am today both as a yoga teacher and as a person, so it is important for me to pass on.
It is definitely a dream to take a year off the calendar and travel the world together as a family.
Who should take the parenting baton next?
Sinne Riis must. Sinne – a good friend and a huge firebrand. She is one of the few who lights up the crowd with her warmth of heart. I got to know Sinne through the kindergarten, where her son Sylvester attends with my boys.
Sinne is a fighter and an enormously creative person who I am very inspired by. And I’m sure many will be too. She juggles a late-in-life ADHD diagnosis while being a grass widow half the time with an excess that is admirable.
No one can create small universes and atmospheres like Sinne, and it is just a real pleasure to see her creativity unfold – and to experience her completely unique approach to creating communities.
2024-10-31 17:55:00
#Grandma #drives #Aarhus #Vejgaard #Monday #family #important
It seems that the text you provided discusses various aspects of family life, technology use, and personal aspirations. Here’s a breakdown and summary of the key points:
1. **Concerns about Technology**: The author reflects on the challenges of screen time and technology use within the family, noting the importance of being involved in what the children watch rather than focusing solely on the quantity of their screen time.
2. **Balancing Couple Time**: The narrative emphasizes the difficulty of maintaining a connection as a couple amidst busy family life. The couple prioritizes small moments of interaction rather than grand gestures, acknowledging that everyday life demands attention.
3. **Need for Personal Space**: Both partners recognize the necessity of personal time to recharge, considering their professional commitments. They manage to provide space for each other and make efforts to spend meaningful time together, such as planning an annual romantic getaway.
4. **Dreams for the Family**: The author expresses a desire to expose their children to diverse cultures and experiences, reflecting on past travels and the dream of sharing these global experiences with their children in the future.
The overall sentiment emphasizes the importance of quality over quantity in both technology use and personal interactions, while also dreaming of enriching experiences as a family.
