With the passage of time as your family grows, it gets difficult to stay connected to one another and spend some quality time together. Even the newly married couples are striving hard at times to find some space for each other in their crazy schedules.
If the community marriages are finding it hard to stay stable, what can be said about atypical setups where communication is a hitch? For example, if one of the spouses is “mail-order bride” (like ladies from an Asian country or Russian women), how do such couples cope with issues as the number of family members increases?
Also, as the proverb goes, children are bound to give more trouble as they become older. However, this doesn’t mean that one should lose hope in the current family system. There are plenty of ways of keeping the bond strong and enhance the family ties.
Tips to Improve Family Relationships
By incorporating the following simple tips in your daily routine, you will be able to implant proximity amongst your family members:
Schedule Time in Your Routine
When there are a number of adults in the family, one needs to consider the schedule of each and every one of them. It is a good idea to plan at least one night a week when the entire family comes together for some fun activities or a good conversation. Make everyone postpone their commitments to dedicate this particular time to the family entirely.
Organizing a day trip will also be a good way to spend time together but make sure to plan everything out at least a month in advance. Ask everyone to mark their calendars so that they don’t tend to forget because of their busy routines.
Eat Together
Studies have proved that eating meals together strengthens communication between people. If not all then at least a few nights in the week should be such when everyone gathers around the dining table. No electronics should be allowed during this time and all the attendees must engage in conversation with one another. If not dinner, one can always arrange some other time of the day like breakfast or lunch for this activity.
Divide the Chores
The entire family should share the responsibility of keeping the home spotless and taking care of the yard. Set up such a routine for everyone that they perform their chores at the same time. If a teen or an adult in the family require flexibility, give them some extra time to complete their task.
Be Involved in Your Child’s Activities
You don’t need to be their coach or poke your nose in everything they do. However, just a little bit of help in their activities will show how much you care about them. Help them out with a fundraiser, enjoy video games with them, let them teach you how to drive in racings or try Virtual Reality together or provide snacks for their group on an away night. All such gestures will help you in earning a soft spot in their hearts.
Plan Meeting Other Families Too
Being with other families also plays an integral role in strengthening the bond within the family. There are certain habits or activities of other families which you can learn to improve the relationships within your family. Create a list of other families who will socialize with you and help you in adopting some great habits.
Come Up with a Family Mission Statement
This seems to be too corporate or business-like but it truly works. Creating a family mission statement will remind each and every member of the family of the love which you all share and the core family values. Place the mission statement in a prominent place in the house and try to talk about it often with each other.
Encourage Each Other
When your kids will find support in their family, they will be able to create such a bond with you that will last a lifetime. All the members of the family must know about the things which are important for the rest and must give enough support during the good and the bad times. This encourages every member of the family to share the things which don’t go too well or if something is bothering them. Always reward decent behavior and never forget to celebrate special moments with each other. The small acts of kindness and appreciation tend to go a long way and will only make your children better people in the future.
Listen to Each Other
The family functioning will improve immensely if the parents and the children develop the habit of listening to each other. Always pay heed to what the people in the family are talking about. When people feel that they are being heard, they feel more wanted and loved amongst the family. It is the duty of the parents to understand the verbal and non-verbal messages of their children.
Give Yourself Time Too
There are times when being around people whether it is your partner or your children can be quite overwhelming. Everybody needs his or her personal space so that they can spend some time with themselves. This time doesn’t really have to be really long but will help you to find an activity which truly rejoices you and gives you immense satisfaction.
