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Conscious Parenting ~ Five Tips for Creating Family
Connection
By Traci L. Carman
Time fills up so quickly these days with homework, sports, chores,
and parent work schedules. It seems like there is less and less time to
be together as a family. We keep thinking it will happen tomorrow, next
week, over the holiday, next year. But … most of the time, it doesn’t
happen. Why? We are not setting the time aside to make it happen.
- Do you eat dinner together as a family? (or
breakfast?)
- Does your whole family attend sporting or other
events that one member
is involved in?
- Do you pray or share gratitudes as a family daily?
- Do you have a date night with your spouse? With each
child?
- Do you read together?
- Do you ask your children how school was every day,
and actually listen to the answer? (Or, do they just say “fine,” and
you move on?)
Family time is important, and it can easily get put on the back burner.
Before we know it, the opportunity to create family connection,
traditions and memories is gone. If you want to instill family values
and traditions in your children, you need to take the time to create
them today.
Here are five tips for creating family connection:
Tip No. 1
- Make a January through December list on a piece of
paper (top to bottom).
- As a family, come up with 12 family “events” that
everyone would enjoy participating in. They can be weekends, evenings,
day trips, backyard or family room campouts, special dinners, movies,
etc.
- For each month on your sheet of paper, write one of
the 12 events down. You should end up with all of your ideas on that
list, with no blank months.
- Depending on the ages of your children, ask who wants
to be the coordinator for each month’s activity (a different member of
the family for each month).
- Begin planning January’s family event, and calendar a
reminder to put together February’s event (incorporate the holidays
when possible).
Tip No. 2
- Pick a night (preferably weekly) for mom and dad’s
“date night.” Find a babysitter, or send the children to grandma’s or a
friend’s house for a couple of hours, so you can have devoted alone
time.
- Put it on the calendar the same night of each week,
and plan for it.
- Alternate who is in charge of planning for the
special time together.
Tip No. 3
- Plan date nights with your kids. It can be hot cocoa
and a card game, or watching a movie together snuggled up on the couch,
taking a walk, making dinner together, building something, swinging at
the park. The point is that each parent has one-on-one time with each
child on a regular basis. I know … it’s time consuming. It doesn’t have
to be four hours. It can be one hour. It can even be one hour with each
child on the same night. It just needs to be quality, focused,
one-on-one, “I care about you” time.
Tip No. 4
- Make sure you plan some time for yourself. If you are
empty, you have nothing to give. What fills your tank? Dads … is it a
football game with the guys? Working out at the gym? Working in the
garage undisturbed? What fills you up? Moms … a nice hot bath with no
interruptions? Some girl time with friends? Someone else cooking?
- Plan this once a week, if possible; definitely no
less than once a month.
Tip No. 5
- Once a month (minimally) have a family meeting. Talk
about the monthly “event,” how quality date nights are going, how
everyone is doing, who needs what, etc.
Invest in any or all of these five things over the next 12 months, and
see what happens. If you want a strong, healthy family, and to create
great character in your children, you need to be willing to invest time
and attention in creating it. Your return on investment (ROI) will be
amazing.
The most important thing is to put it on your calendar now. Don’t keep
putting it off. The kids are growing too quickly. You will miss the
opportunity.
Have an amazing year of creating family connection, love and lasting
memories.
Traci Carman is the Founder and CEO of A Loving
Way ~ How I Parent Makes a Difference. She is known for her
practical and insightful parenting style. Sign up for her
free monthly Newsletter at www.alovingway.com.
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Conscious
parenting
today creates a
brighter and more
joyful tomorrow!
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