Happy Family Secrets [1]

[lovebaby]

Happy Family Secret No. 1: Enjoy Each Other
The essence of a happy family is that they truly uplift each other and that all comes down to how they treat each other. There is a joy that characterizes their interaction. Parents come home and the kids are happy to see them and when kids come home, the parents are happy to see them.


Happy Family Secret No. 2: Swap Stories
When your kids come home, ask them what happened in school and have a story for them. If you come home dejected and not really interested and then five minutes later the TV is on, why would they be happy to see you?
You must drop everything you are doing and always come home with something to share with your kids, whether a story or even the smallest vignette. This way you give your kids something to look forward to.


Happy Family Secret No. 3: Break Bread Together
Families that eat together, stay together. It's that simple. "Family dinners are essential." "It’s a time to connect." Have a minimum of four family dinners per week.


Happy Family Secret No. 4: Play Together
"Have one or two unifying activities that the family does together on a nightly basis," Bedtime stories for young children or reading a chapter from a novel to an older child.


Happy Family Secret No. 5: Put Family Before Friends
"In happy families, family comes before friends."


Happy Family Secret No. 6: Limit Children's After-School Activities
Today, growing numbers of kids are overscheduled and participate in six or seven after-school activities per week. The mother becomes a chauffer and the children are never home at the same time. This is not a recipe for a happy family. "If your kids grow up not knowing how to do ballet, they will be OK. No after-school activities is an extreme and too many activities is the other extreme.


Happy Family Secret No. 7: Build and Honor Rituals
Families need rituals. Rituals can be religious, national, or even family-specific. "Happy families have meaningful rituals and are not stressed out by them." "They can be unique to your own family such as going for bagels on Saturday morning, a weekly pizza night, or even a family song. Rituals tend to bring family members close together because they are repeated over time."


[By Denise Mann, WebMD Feature]