Looking for ways to improve the relationships in your family by making them more harmonious and enjoyable? Author and parenting coach Alyson Schafer and relationship therapist Marion Goertz share 10 suggestions for family goals you can undertake with your kids.
1. Resolve to laugh more often together and find more ways to have more fun as a family.
2. Think of ways you can all get out and enjoy nature more.
3. Don't overbook yourselves - on your calendar actually mark down periods in the evening and weekends that are "do nothing" time.
4. Find ways to invest in your marriage -- every relationship needs nurturing. This goal will benefit the kids, too, so don't feel guilty about taking a date night once a week or on a biweekly basis.
5. Talk about how you can eat more healthily. Do you need to come up with weekly nutritious meal plans that everyone contributes to? Set some goals, such as eliminating all white bread and pasta products, and build on them slowly throughout the year. Find what works best for your family.
6. Eat together as a family more often. Life gets crazy but family meals are very important. If you can't have dinner together more than twice a week, see if family breakfasts are a better option.
7. Discuss how you receive spiritual nourishment. You may decide to visit a local church if you don't belong to one, try different places of worship to expose yourself to new faith traditions, or try meditation and incorporating more quiet time for reflection into your family schedule.
8. Resolve to ask yourselves at least one a quarter, How are we doing as a family? Is there anything that we need to talk about?
9. Accept one another. Have each family member privately pick something about everyone else that bothers them but they resolve to accept. You may decide to overlook your son's terribly messy room and remind yourself he's a good kid.
Page 1 of 2 -- Learn how to show appreciation for each member of your family with advice on page 2
