6 Ways to Create a Happier Family Life
Today’s hectic family lifestyles don’t have to mean we still can’t enjoy one another and have some fun. Might Mommy shares six ways to create a happier family life—regardless of what’s going on in the “outside” world.
Whether you have one child or eight like I do, today’s family is faced with overwhelming demands on their schedules, whether it be during the school week, work, after-school, or work, or even trying to squeeze dozens of commitments in throughout our sacred weekend time. There’s just never enough time to get it all done, and there certainly doesn’t seem to be enough time leftover to chill out with friends and family. Sound familiar?
But today’s hectic family lifestyles don’t have to mean we still can’t enjoy one another and have some fun. Might Mommy shares six ways to create a happier family life—regardless of what’s going on in the “outside” world.
Tip #1: Enjoy the Everyday Moments
Some of the best moments my family spends together are the little, everyday moments, such as eating homemade pop tarts together for breakfast, sitting on the couch with one of our dogs, walking through the grocery store and finding new recipes to try, or hanging out in our backyard throwing a Frisbee on a lazy summer’s day. We also enjoy vacations together to Disney World, shopping for fun additions for our family room, and lounging with our best friends on one of our beautiful Rhode Island beaches. But at the end of the day, it’s the quiet, simple moments that keep us connected as a family and that really bring us true joy. See Also: 5 Fresh Ways to Spend Family Time This Summer
Tip #2: Play Board Games
As the mom of eight, I often get asked how I maintain my sanity and enjoy my family at the same time. Great question! No matter how many kids you have, raising a family is never easy, but the rewards far outweigh the challenges. Spending time together on a regular basis is what has always been the foundation for our family. One way to do that is to find something common that the entire family can enjoy—and we’ve found that playing board games and card games is always a great way to have fun and chill out easily together. Apples to Apples is a Butler family favorite and so is the tried and true Monopoly!
Board games are a low-cost way to bridge the family’s sometimes tricky spread of ages and interests and serve as a quick, family pick-me-up no matter what the season. Happiness is! See Also: How Reading Connects Families See Also: 5 Ways Your Child Can Cope With Losing
Tip #3: Practice Random Acts of Kindness
Living in the 21st century means living in a material-laden world. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with our kid’s enjoying the many sophisticated products of this wonderful time we live in, but they also need to learn the art of gratitude and how to do kind things for others just for the sake of paying it forward. Practicing monthly random acts of kindness as a family is a great way to do something special together that will automatically increase the joy level in your household. Some ideas are:
Week ONE: Surprise! Anonymously leave a note, treat, artwork and/or gift for a stranger.
Week TWO: Create! Select a project that inspires childhood creativity.
Week THREE: Give! Pick a way to give that spreads love , joy and encouragement.
Week FOUR: Serve! Find a way to help others with your actions! (Volunteering & Community Service)
Week FIVE: Thank! Develop a way to express appreciation and gratitude to those who make our world a better place. For more ideas, check out my “Mighty Acts of Random Kindness” board on Pinterest.
Tip #4: Eat Meals Together on a Regular Basis
Recent studies show that kids who regularly sit down to dinner with the family get higher grades, have better vocabularies, are more resilient, and are less likely to take up unhealthy habits, such as smoking. Eating together also allows families to stay connected with one another because they share stories about what happened during their day away from one another. Parents have the opportunity to glimpse into the window of their kid’s busy school lives and, likewise, kids get the chance to see what happens during mom and dad’s working hours. In this day and age, eating together as a family every night might be impossible, but trying for a sit-down meal several nights a week or enjoying a regular Sunday brunch each week are doable if your make it a priority for your family. Families that break bread together are more apt to laugh together and happily enjoy one another’s company. See Also the Domestic CEO’s great tips: The Case For Meal Planning
Tip #5: Create Traditions
Whether it’s making waffles for dinner every Wednesday night like we do in our family or giving everyone in the family silly pajamas to open on Christmas Eve each year, unique family rituals strengthen ties like nothing else.
Traditions give children a sense of identity and belonging and, even though some of the most common rituals you practice regularly may seem insignificant now, kids will hang onto them for years to come and many will continue them with their own families (hence—the silly Christmas PJs that all my siblings and I do with our own families now all these years later.) It’s never too late to incorporate some new traditions into your lifestyle, and this again helps build a “happiness foundation” for your kids.
Tip #6: Don’t Over Schedule
I’ve found that in our super hectic family life with raising eight kids, one of our biggest sanity savers has turned out to be “unscheduling” ourselves. Kids don’t need to be signed up for every activity and enrichment opportunity that comes their way. By limiting the amount of activities that you sign your family up for each season, you can create some much needed “down time” as well. Schedule one Saturday a month to do absolutely nothing. These days will eventually become sacred to your family because you can decide how to spend it together, even if all you end up doing is hanging out in the backyard and having a barbecue or just lounging in your pajamas and watching movies together.
By not overscheduling, you can turn down the notch on your family’s stress level and lighten up and have fun together. See Also: 10 Ways to Become a More Organized Parent
How do you keep your family happy? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section at quickanddirtytips.com/mighty-mommy, post your ideas on the Mighty Mommy Facebook page, or email me at mommy@quickanddirtytips.comcreate new email.
Also visit my family-friendly boards at Pinterest.com/MightyMommyQDT.
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Family board game image courtesy of Shutterstock.