Our family is large and busy and we each want to live full lives! The boys want to play all the sports, I want to work, volunteer, and attend all of the events and hubby also has his hands full with working and volunteering in the community. The pandemic forced us to pay attention to our family dynamics as we were all cooped up in the house together. We've bonded so much and I want that positive side effect of the pandemic to continue although our lives are returning to "normal". Here are 7 ways you can also improve your family bond while being busy;
1. Have dinner at the table together! - It's at the dinner table that we hear all the funny jokes about what happened at school that day or what events are coming up. You don't even have to be a great cook to make this happen either! Takeout at the dinner table would do too! The main point is to talk as a family and there's nothing quite like connecting over a meal!
2. Do chores together - You may not believe it, but working together brings us closer. Hubby has the best bonding time while chopping wood or doing yard work with the boys. I bond with them while inviting them into the kitchen to cook with me or do work in the garden. We also do 5-minute cleanups together! 5 minutes might not seem like a lot of time, but with 6 of us that equates to 30 minutes of work done in 5 minutes! We pick a room and get going! This is our favorite 5 minute cleanup song!
3. Host the play-date! - To bond with your kiddos -- especially middle and high schoolers, you have to get to know their friends and provide a safe environment for them to have fun. We recently hosted a video game night and we scored some cool points with the kids. They may not say it but they feel closer to you when you lean into the people and activities that bring them joy. I don't like video games but for my preteen I will I would surely host a party!
4. Getaway/ adventure together - Our family adventures bring us much closer to each other. We build memories that are just ours and making a song up to keep us going while on a hike would do the trick! Whether it's flying or driving to a destination -- just do it! You will never regret the time you spend together!
5. Make board games a thing! - If board games aren't a thing in your home you should make it one! As a child, we didn't have a lot but we played board games almost every night. To this day my siblings and I have an inseparable bond. Some of our favorites are checkers, mancala, blokus, dominos, trouble, chess and scrabble. What are your favorites? Leave a comment and let me know!
6. Say No! - Until the pandemic, I didn't realize how over-committing myself negatively impacted my family. As a girl, I wanted to save the world and as an adult, I still want to give of myself to make the community better. However, I realize that there is nothing noble about giving to the world and neglecting our home. After realizing that I mixed up the order of my priorities I started saying no to a lot of things that got in the way of our family time. At the end of the day, the job you love so much can replace you, your friends can replace you and the church can find a new leader. However, your family will never find another you. Give your all to those that will remember you most!
7. Spend one on one time together - When you have multiple children it's easy for one to get lost in the mix. We've all seen adults that felt isolated as children causing mayhem at the family gathering. Most times it's because they're still hurt. We try to make sure that each child feels special by going on dates (my 8 year old told me emphatically that it's not a date) with each of the boys. They get to pick the restaurant or the store they want to go to and it's amazing how happy they are to not compete for attention from their siblings.
One-on-one time as a couple is also a must! We try to go on date nights every 2 weeks so check in with each other's hearts.
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