Welcome 2010—it’s resolution time! Wait! Most people despise making resolutions because they know they’re only going to break them. How about some resolutions that don’t require a huge change in behavior but offer a huge payoff?
Resolve to look each other in the eye when conversing. Sure, you can listen to your child and update your Facebook, but does your 5-year-old know that? Or, does she feel she comes in second to everything else?
Eye contact is a basic sign of respect. When you take attention off other tasks and focus on the person talking, you tell them they are important and their message matters. Cultivate the habit of focusing full attention on the others in your home, and your relationships blossom.
Resolve to eat dinner together. By every measure, families who eat dinner together are healthier. Bonds are tighter; kids do better in school; kids are less prone to drug use, sexual promiscuity, or other dangerous patterns; and parents are more engaged.
Fortunately, it doesn’t matter whether you cook a 4-course meal or meet at a local eatery; the goal is to eat together. Sharing food leads to good stories, good laughter, and good conversation. Simply sitting down together creates time to share the day’s events, points of concern, and reasons for excitement. Reserving dinnertime as sacrosanct also communicates that being a family matters.
Resolve to kiss your spouse—a full on the mouth, movie close-up kiss—every time they arrive. It’s easy to take each other for granted—especially with children underfoot. This one habit ensures that your spouse looks forward to every arrival knowing they will get your full attention—for at least ten seconds. They are welcomed, greeted, and desired. That’s a great message to come home to. Even if you have to report an overflowing toilet or an unexpected bill in the next breath, the first ten seconds of home are bliss.
This also sends a great message to children. Healthy parents kindle the desire to be close. Children thrive when parents desire each other. Though they may compete for attention, your visible affection creates comfort and security.
Resolve to reserve one night per week for family fun. Whether you pull out board games, a ball mitt, or head to the car for a local adventure, set aside time for fun. You anticipated family being a place of connection and good memories, right? Go make some. Not only will you enjoy the outings; they’ll build bonds to get your family through the tough times.
Give each family member a turn picking the activity. The son who resists board games may be more enthusiastic if he gets to pick his favorite museum on his turn. You make time for individual pursuits. Resolve to make time to build family ties.
Resolve to read great books. Children’s identity is shaped by the stories they hear. In the past parents shared stories to train their children how to act. Today’s parent erroneously sees story—books and video—as mere entertainment without lasting impression. Stories still shape children.
Read books which shape your children in the way they should go. Honey For A Child's Heart categorizes great books by age and type to give a helpful reading resource for parents. The biographies, adventures, or fables you read aloud together will capture imagination, shape their understanding of how to engage the world, and increase their ability to reason. Along the way you’ll enjoy great adventures together.
Tis the season for resolutions—why not make a few that mean a happier, healthier family in 2010.
This month’s topic: What are your family resolutions?
Resolve to look each other in the eye when conversing. Sure, you can listen to your child and update your Facebook, but does your 5-year-old know that? Or, does she feel she comes in second to everything else?
Eye contact is a basic sign of respect. When you take attention off other tasks and focus on the person talking, you tell them they are important and their message matters. Cultivate the habit of focusing full attention on the others in your home, and your relationships blossom.
Resolve to eat dinner together. By every measure, families who eat dinner together are healthier. Bonds are tighter; kids do better in school; kids are less prone to drug use, sexual promiscuity, or other dangerous patterns; and parents are more engaged.
Fortunately, it doesn’t matter whether you cook a 4-course meal or meet at a local eatery; the goal is to eat together. Sharing food leads to good stories, good laughter, and good conversation. Simply sitting down together creates time to share the day’s events, points of concern, and reasons for excitement. Reserving dinnertime as sacrosanct also communicates that being a family matters.
Resolve to kiss your spouse—a full on the mouth, movie close-up kiss—every time they arrive. It’s easy to take each other for granted—especially with children underfoot. This one habit ensures that your spouse looks forward to every arrival knowing they will get your full attention—for at least ten seconds. They are welcomed, greeted, and desired. That’s a great message to come home to. Even if you have to report an overflowing toilet or an unexpected bill in the next breath, the first ten seconds of home are bliss.
This also sends a great message to children. Healthy parents kindle the desire to be close. Children thrive when parents desire each other. Though they may compete for attention, your visible affection creates comfort and security.
Resolve to reserve one night per week for family fun. Whether you pull out board games, a ball mitt, or head to the car for a local adventure, set aside time for fun. You anticipated family being a place of connection and good memories, right? Go make some. Not only will you enjoy the outings; they’ll build bonds to get your family through the tough times.
Give each family member a turn picking the activity. The son who resists board games may be more enthusiastic if he gets to pick his favorite museum on his turn. You make time for individual pursuits. Resolve to make time to build family ties.
Resolve to read great books. Children’s identity is shaped by the stories they hear. In the past parents shared stories to train their children how to act. Today’s parent erroneously sees story—books and video—as mere entertainment without lasting impression. Stories still shape children.
Read books which shape your children in the way they should go. Honey For A Child's Heart categorizes great books by age and type to give a helpful reading resource for parents. The biographies, adventures, or fables you read aloud together will capture imagination, shape their understanding of how to engage the world, and increase their ability to reason. Along the way you’ll enjoy great adventures together.
Tis the season for resolutions—why not make a few that mean a happier, healthier family in 2010.
This month’s topic: What are your family resolutions?
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