Enhancing The Good

I’m so grateful to have been brought up in a home where everyone loved and respected each other (and they still do). Among the two parents and five children that participated in many different responsibilities, we still had a lot of time together and hold on to many cherished memories. I recognize that not everyone has or has had that experience, but I know that everyone can have that.

I believe having balance in your family life is worth just about any price! So I’ve decided to share some meaningful tips (all dive into my personal life) that will help you with your family, concerning the amount of time you spend with them on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis:

Daily- Daily interactions, even for just a moment, make a significant difference in the life of each member of the family.

1. Growing up, it was a priority in my home to have dinner together every night. No matter what was going on or who had to be where, most days, we were eating dinner together, around the table. This lead to meaningful conversations and check-ins that all family members were included on (kept us all on the same page), and even some fun traditions. You never know what can come out of the little daily things, even if they last no longer than 20 minutes.
2. Back then, coming home from school, my mom would pause whatever she was doing to ask each of us about our day. This didn’t take longer than 2 minutes most days, but looking back, I’m really grateful that my mom cared enough to take that time to see how we were doing. This even carries into today where most of us are grown up and out of the house. Whenever I see my mom, I usually get one-on-one time with her (again, even if it’s just 2 minutes) to catch up and tell her how I’m doing, and vice versa. The couple minutes of sacrifice to put everything else on hold while we talk have built up to improve our mother-daughter relationship.

Weekly- Spend a couple of hours once a week, doing something special.

1. My family is very spiritually involved. With that comes church attendance and activities. Once a week, on Monday nights, we had what was called “Family Home Evening”. I know that my family is closer than we could be without a doubt, even with this singular event. The evening consisted of a couple of spiritual messages, treats, music, activities, songs, and prayers. It lasted no longer than one or two hours usually. Still not a ton of time to set-aside, but it has made the biggest difference in our lives, even so that my husband and I have decided to do it in our home.
2. Back in high school, having the little bits of freedom that come with that, my parents asked that I would spend one weekend night with them, while the other could be with friends. Although it was hard for me, being a teenager and wanting to be out with friends as much as possible, I gave up many late night hang outs with friends to instead be with family. My family loves movies, and even though we watch them in silence, simply being around each other to participate in something we all enjoyed bonded us together and deepened that love for movies even more.
3. On Saturdays, my dad created the tradition of getting burgers after we all did yard work together. This was of course only during the summer months when there was a lot to do outside, and usually took an hour or two. I usually found a way out of doing yard work (haha) but it was fun for me that my family got to participate in doing those things together.

Monthly- A couple of moments here and there bring it all together.

1. Not too long ago, I heard that having “bigger” experiences seems to make time go by more slowly. As we get older, time seems to go by faster and faster, so lately, my husband and I have been committed to do our best to “slow it down” as much as we can. We try to plan bi-monthly activities that help us grow closer together as well as activities that help us to get out of our comfort zone and grow in ways we might not have imagined. I’ve noticed that as we’ve done these specific activities, time isn’t slipping away from us as it was before. We also have the benefit of strengthening our relationship and trying new things which has been so fun for us, and will definitely be applying these traditions with our kids.

Family is everything and it’s important that we’re balancing our lives to make them a priority. This might seem like a lot more to add to your list of things to do, but what it comes down to is little steps of progress. These activities don’t have to be anything spectacular, the most important thing is that it’s time together, daily, weekly, and monthly. It’s not too late to start these simple habits that bring you closer together and will benefit your life and the lives of your family members immensely!!

I want to hear from you! What have you or do you plan to do with your family to help you all balance your lives together?