What does your child?s behavior say about you and your family? If you ask any teacher, they?ll probably be able to tell you what any child?s family is like after spending only five minutes with the child. Obviously, family relations are an important factor in any kid?s development. And just like anything else worth having, family bonding is something you need to invest time and effort in. Here are some reasons why.
Building trust
No matter how insignificant things that your children tell you may appear to you, they are probably very important to them. Finding time to listen about what bothers and interests your little ones and being a safe-keeper of their secrets is essential. It?s how you build trust and find out important things, like if they?re happy at school or they?re perhaps being bullied. Teaching your children to confide in you from the earliest of age will allow you to be involved in their lives during their teenage years and once they grow up. It?s important that you find time and patience for their stories, however long or silly they seem.
Boosting their self-esteem
When children feel valued and appreciated at home, they?ll be more likely to develop their own feeling of self-worth. By spending time with your kids, allowing them to speak their mind and always taking their opinion into consideration, you?ll raise them to be less influenced by others and to think with their own heads. Self-confident children grow into more capable adults, who make friends more easily and don?t shy away from healthy relationships. Furthermore, this way they won?t be insecure and they?ll feel free to ask you for advice or help whenever something troubles them, no matter how old they are. And finally, if they feel confident enough to ask questions at home, they?ll do the same at school, which could add to their academic success.
Creating a safe haven
If you want your home to remind your children of warmth, love and understanding, do it by spending quality time there with them. Living rooms are places where precious memories are created, and comfortable couches big enough to fit a whole family can make you all physically and mentally closer to each other. So, turning your home into a safe haven for your child should be crucial. This way, they?ll always love coming back home, bringing their own children with them one day. Whether you just tell funny stories, read books together or play social games, bonding with your family inside your home should be one of your priorities.
Showing encouragement and affection
Spending time together as a family is a great way of developing strong bonds. One reason for this is that, while being together, you get to show how much you love and appreciate each other. You can show this affection through words, hugs and kisses, different acts of kindness or simply by being gentle and caring. While talking about your day, you can give each other advice and show understanding about the negative things, but you should focus more on the positive. Restrain yourself from being judgmental and praise your children for even the smallest of their successes instead. This is something that your children will learn from you and that will let them be more understanding and see the good in people when they are older.
Instilling responsibility in children
Not all the time you spend together should be about relaxing, talking and playing. Some of it can be used to do some housework. Use this time to teach your offspring how to do some basic chores, like cleaning their room, putting things away or loading the dishwasher. By turning this into family time, you?ll take away any discomfort out of what you?re doing, so don?t treat this as punishment, but rather as something fun you?re doing as a team and as a way of giving your children power to contribute to what their home looks like. You?ll be teaching them the value of work and the responsibility they have over their immediate surroundings.
Improving health
Nowadays, children are surrounded with unhealthy things, from the technology they use, through the lack of physical activity, to all the junk food and sugary snacks they eat. This is another thing that can be fixed through quality family time. Spending time outdoors, playing sports together or simply hiking through the countryside can improve your whole family?s health significantly. Also, if you want your kids to eat healthier, teach them by example. Cook their meals from scratch using fresh and nutritious ingredients and let them help you in the kitchen. They?ll be more inclined to eat something they don?t really enjoy if they participated in making it and if everybody else in the family eats it. Also, if you present them with fun and interesting family activities, they?ll spend less time staring at one screen or another.
As important as it is to work and make money, your children will benefit more from the time you spend with them. Make time in your busy schedule for your family and build a fortress of love and trust nobody can ever tear down.
Article provided by Tracey Clayton.
Tracey Clayton is a full time mom of three girls. She?s passionate about fashion, home d?cor and healthy living. Her motto is: ?Live the life you love, love