Family Moments is about the wonderful experience of connecting as a family.
In this series, we encourage parents to take a look at those truly special family moments. Memories that evoke a feeling of pure joy because they represent quality time with the people we love the most. The realities of modern day life can make these family moments feel out of our reach a lot of the time. Through this series, parents take a look at the obstacles that can get in the way of these happy family experiences with a view to making some changes so that life can involve more of them. Today we’re speaking to Vicki Casserly.
A little bit about me and my family.
My name is Vicki and I am a mum of two crazy but beautiful boys! I’m from Lucan, Co. Dublin. My eldest son James is thirteen and my youngest, who we affectionately call Tornado Tom, is four.
I’m married to my lovely husband Dan who is a software engineer and I am a full-time carer for James who has cerebral palsy and juvenile arthritis. I am also the Mayor for South Dublin and a Local Councillor.
Our favourite way to spend time together is...
Our favourite way to spend time together as a family is usually a physical activity or travel. Our eldest son James and his Dad Dan are marathon runners. They take part in Dublin City Marathon with James’ assisted wheelchair to raise funds for Barretstown. The twist in the tale is that they do this with an assisted wheelchair to ensure James has an equal opportunity to take part.
We pull ability from disability! This encourages myself and Tom to do our own bit. I am a fit 4 life runner and Tom loves to cycle! We all enjoy being out and about and supporting each other. We also love to travel and make memories. We have gone as far as Australia and our favourite haunt is Galway!
Our most cherished family moment is...
Some of our best family memories include watching Dan let James out of his wheelchair to run through the finish line of Dublin City Marathon. Tom and I cheered so loud and were so proud. To give them the hug after we met them was just magic!
The thing that gets in the way of us spending time together is...
My work. I receive a lot of phone calls and work sporadic hours. I try to manage it around the boys, but it means some evenings we are like passing ships in the night. Dan sometimes has to travel for work and then James often has visits to the hospital. It can be overwhelming, but we can only do our best.
Our pledge as a family:
We pledge to try and make more time in the evenings to spend quality time together or to go out for a cycle or a walk. Just to be in the moment and where we all put our phones away for an hour or so of uninterrupted time.
It is so easy to get caught up in life but moments like these are precious and I want to ensure we always make the most of it.
To maximize your quality family time, take our Family Moments Challenge.
We would like to thank Vicki for sharing her special family moments with us. To read more stories just like Vicki's, click here.
