Six Tips to Bring Your Family Closer Together!

I can remember being a child and everyday we would have dinner with my Grandparents. It was a rewarding experience and one I will carry with me forever. Now that I am adult I look at my own kids and ask myself 'what did I do wrong?' When video games or television has replaced family time you know there is a problem. So now I had to ask myself 'what can I do to draw my family together'.

Let me say it has not been easy. At first it felt as if I was pulling teeth. My kids dreaded family night. It usually ended with a some argument and me giving up only to try again later on. Than I come to realize it is not what you do together that is important. What is important is being together and spending them together.

So I change the rules on them. I started with meals. I would set the table and made it clear that everyone eats together. I also went so far as to turn off all electronics so there was no distractions. This forced us to actually talk to each other and spend time with each other.

It seemed to work pretty good and than I got to wondering what else I could do. Well I found something my oldest son loves to do and used it as a mean to have quality family time together. You see my oldest son loves to clean. He is constantly asking if his father or I have any work he can do around the house.

This led me to make the rule 'the family that eats together, cleans together'. I will admit it. I would just as soon scrub a toile than do dishes. There is something about playing with dirty dishes that I do not like. So this benefited not only me but my son as well. It gave us a chance to visit with each other while cleaning the house. To make it better, my husband has even started to follow the rule.

What is the point of all this? I thought myself and than I came to one simple conclusion. You do not have to spend a lot of money to spend time with your family. Movies, amusement parks, shopping they are all fun but can get costly. Video Games or TV can get rather boring. So I have gather a list of things to do with your family from my own personal experiences. Not every family is the same but perhaps my tips can help another family out.

1) Don't force your family to spend them together. This will only make them hate family time even more. Find things they enjoy and work around it to draw everyone near. If you child likes video games you could try one of the new interactive DVD games. Everyone likes to win and beating your parents in a game can be rather awarding.

2) Spend time in the kitchen together. If you have young kids, they love to make a mess and that is why I suggest the kitchen. Bake some cupcakes or cookies with them but let them get involved by stirring or adding the ingredients. They will love this. When you are done you can sit down and have an awarding treat with your child.

3) Always remember that one child is not the same as another. I have two children. My oldest is perfection, a perfect little angel, while my youngest is constantly trying to get into trouble. I constantly have to remind myself that I have to treat them both differently so I always even out things so there is atleast one thing in my family someone is enjoying.

4) Children want attention. No matter how old they are they want there parents to notice them and to take a part of there lives. Remember, don't push them but find a common ground. If your child likes sports suggest playing a game of basketball or going to a game with them. Money is not always everything. It is the quality of what you do and if you child won't come to you than you have to go to them.

5) Jealousy is always a factor amongst children, especially mine. I never do for one without doing for the other. I remember having a conversation with my oldest one night. He was very upset over the quality of time his brother got. Keep in mind my youngest is only a year old so it is natural that he would require more attention from my husband or myself. Yet, as I was talking to my son I recall telling him that there were things in life we could do with one but not the other but it did not mean we favored one or the other, for example I can go the movies with my oldest son but my youngest has to stay home.

6) The mother in me wishes I could turn back time and keep my children little forever but like all things in life they will grow up. It is important to remember that as they grow to give them freedom. I have always given my kids choices in what we do. I would ask them if they would either like to go bike riding or watch a movie, for example. By doing this I made them feel more involved in what we had planned instead of making them feel as if they have to do it cause Mom says so. It is also a good way to teach them the value of making a good decision as well as giving them some independence.

For me, those six rules are the ones I live by. There is so much more to being a family that I would not even know where to begin. A family are the ones you love and that love you. It doesn't matter what you do as long as you do it together, even if it is just have dinner together. I believe that a few minutes a day can really shape the lives of a children and make them better than we ever could have been.