Let's Have Some Family Time
Your work schedule, your mates workschedule, the kids after school schedules....where do you find time to spend together anymore? Spending time with your family is one of the most important and rewarding things to do. It helps to strengthen the family unit and can create memories that we will never forget. Time together does not have to be scheduled. It can also be spontaneous.
One thing that we seem to not do much of anymore is eat dinner together. Remember all the old sitcoms where dad came home from work and mom had dinner ready and they all sat down together? Well, I agree, it would be nice to do that again, but with some schedules, it just won't work. So, why not have breakfast or lunch together. Who said it has to be dinner anymore? Having any meal together gives us a chance to strike up some conversation between everyone and catch up on what everyone is doing. You could also spend time preparing the meal together and cleaning it up.
Remember sitting down to read the newspaper? How about reading the newspaper to your kids and making a game out of it. Pick out an appropriate article and read it aloud. Have your kids then try to recall the 5 "w"s (who, what, where, why and when) from the article. See who can remember the most. You are spending time with them, plus they are learning something.
Want to get the kids laughing? Play a game of "Rubber Face". Everyone sits in a circle and on the count of 3, everyone makes their silliest faces. Then someone yells "Freeze Face". Everyone freezes with what face they are making until someone laughs.
Young children love to spend time with mom and dad. There are many things that young children like to do, such as go to the park, go for a walk, read a book, watch a movie or do a craft. You can even cook something simple together for dinner.
Older children would enjoy going to see a movie, fishing, going to a sporting event, playing baseball or football or just throwing the ball around with dad in the yard. How about some hoops? You could play "pig" or "horse". Cooking dinner might be fun. Let your child plan the menu and then maybe go shopping for the ingredients together.
Teens act like they would not want to get caught doing something with their parents, but deep down, they really do want to spend time with you. Your teen might enjoy going to a sporting event, hiking, camping, going to a movie or renting one. How about volunteering in your community together like serving food for the holidays or even just visitng the elderly at a local nursing home. Try cooking dinner together. Let your teen plan the menu and cook the meal while you are the helper this time. Whether it is planned or spontaneous, have a ball together.