These days, it can be difficult to build up a deeper connection with family, individually or collectively. Before almost everybody carried their own personal communications device on their person, it was common for families to spend a great deal of time interacting together.
The mother stayed at home to raise the kids, and weekends were very much family occasions. Today, however, both parents often need to work to afford to get by.
Many kids also spend the majority of their time in front of a screen – whether it’s video games, smartphones or TV. So, how can you make deeper connections in this digital, hectic world?
Here, you’ll discover some ideas you can follow to strengthen the connections within the family:
Ensure You Spend One Day a Week Together
Although it is a lot harder to spend time together as a family these days, it’s not impossible. Each week, schedule one day that will be known as “family day”. The weekend tends to work best for this, but you can schedule it depending upon your family’s commitments.
Do something different each week and try to avoid using hi-tech. You could go on day trips, head to the movies or attend an event together. Just spending quality time away from screens can do wonders for your family dynamic.
Host Family Dinner Times
As well as spending a day together once a week, start organizing and hosting more family dinners. Ideally, you should eat together every night of the week. However, if this isn’t possible then aim to eat together at least once or twice a week.
Family dinners give everyone the chance to catch up and see what’s happening with other members of the family. Again, aim to have a strict no-phone policy at the dinner table to ensure everyone is focused on each other, rather than being distracted by notifications.
Spend One-on-One Time with Each Member
As well as spending time together with the entire family, it’s equally as important to spend one-on-one time with each member. So, make sure you’re spending quality time with your partner, as well as each of your children. Encourage your children to spend quality time with each other too.
The one-on-one time gives you the best opportunity to build up individual deep connections. You want to aim to develop an overall deep family bond, alongside deep individual connections.
Encourage Open, Non-Judgmental Discussions
You’re going to find it hard to develop deep connections if your family members don’t feel comfortable opening up to you. Make sure each member of the family knows they can come to you with any problems they may be experiencing. This means not constantly giving lectures or punishing openness. Instead, appreciate the fact they have come to you to talk openly about their issues.
It can be tough to nurture deep family connections in today’s digital age. However, if you follow the advice above you should find it much easier. It’s all about making the effort and being open with each other. The more time you spend as a family unit, the stronger it’s going to be.
