Somewhere along the lines of 50 hour weeks, carpools, soccer, and the struggle to get out of bed on Sunday to actually spend some free time with my family, I learned that there were five recurring things that most of the happy families I knew were doing together.
Part of my New Year’s resolution for 2014 was to implement some of these changes into our household, and I have to say – with over half the year being gone – that it was a rousing success. So much of a success that I wanted to share some of the things that brought us closer together, with you.
Cook
First, I should state that we eat pretty healthy. But even so, dinner time was typically a battle of who gets what food, because of course everyone can’t eat the same thing. In January, we started allowing the kids to help us make a meal plan, as well as assisting in its preparation.
This idea has worked wonders now that they have more of a say in what we eat, and they know that there are no more separate meals. Whatever they decide on has to be eaten by everyone, which leads to compromise and trying new things.
Eat
After preparation, it comes time to eat the meal. For the first time in years, I have a family that’s all eating the same thing – which is magical all on its own. However, the best thing about sharing a meal with family is the opportunity to connect on a level that take out and eating at the couch – or in their rooms – just didn’t provide. I cleaned off our kitchen table and now, we have great conversations, fill each other in on our day, and just genuinely enjoy the experience of breaking bread with loved ones.
Exercise
I could wax poetic on the many benefits of elliptical training by myself, but I cancelled my gym membership and instead I now get my exercise with my family. Where exercise (for me) was once an activity involving headphones, a book, and an elliptical machine or a treadmill, now I’ve replaced all that with walks after dinner, bike rides, soccer at the park, or swimming in the summer time. All of these make for great ways to get out and get active, all while spending time with your loved ones.
Play
Keeping my kids entertained while refraining from playing video games, or watching TV became a bigger challenge than I anticipated. It seems my oldest was the tough one, and any time away from her favorite shows was pure torture. But now they are content to build a pillow fort, play hide ‘n seek, or just sit down with a board game.
Laugh
This is probably the most important thing I’ve learned this year. Time spent laughing with your family is priceless, and no amount of money could ever sway me to take this time for granted. There’s nothing like that hilarious quip from a 6-year-old, or the funny story from the hubby to really brighten your day and put everything into perspective.
If you do nothing else on this list, I would encourage you to spend more time laughing in the company of your family. Time spent with family is fleeting, especially when you have small kids. One day they’ll be all grown up, and have their own lives, so it’s up to you to get all the time in you can while they’re young. No amount of time on Facebook will ever make you whole in the way that time spent with family will.
What are some additional items you’d add to the list?
Maybe I’ll add it to my resolutions for 2015!
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That about sums it up. I would also add “go to church”. Thanks for sharing!
I agree Christina – church is very important in our family too!
When I was growing up we always had dinner together and no TV during meals. (Now it needs to be: no TV or phones or any kind of electronics). We played cribbage and Clue and watched funny shows and laughed together.
We ate our kitchen table and didn’t watch TV when I was young. I loved playing games too. We had a lot of board games and also played card games. My sister and I still play cribbage as often as we can.