A family is as good as its members. Each family member is unique in character and thoughts. So, views may always clash during family meetings or day-to-day conversations, leading to conflicts. Bold steps must be taken to avoid family conflicts. If you think your family conflicts are getting out of hand, seek family conflict counseling in Rye, NY before things get worse.
Finding ways to remain together as a family in spite of these differences is the key to a successful family. A successful family depends on each member’s support and commitment.
Family members must learn to understand and support each other to avoid conflicts that require the help of a professional counselor.
All these will be achieved more easily if the family creates the time to bond. By engaging in bonding activities, the family can easily understand each other in ways formal family meetings will not bring out.
1. Game Nights
One easy way to keep family members bonding is through game nights. The game nights should involve friendly competition while playing games such as card games, draughts, board games, or video games.
The family can play a different game each week on a rotation basis. Game nights should be scheduled when all or most members are available.
For video games, the selection should be interactive and exciting enough to bring out everyone’s happy side. It’s also the right time to serve snacks. Popcorns won’t hurt anyone as the games are played.
2. Campout or Picnicking
Your family should create the time for a camping trip to where nature resides. When possible, pack up some food and other necessary supplies, get a tent and load the car. Some stories are better told around a campfire out there. You can opt for a motor home or even rent a cabin. It all depends on your budget and what most family members would want to experience out there.
A camping trip provides hiking, fishing, or exploration opportunities, all of which bonding will occur. It’s also an educational trip, as everyone will learn about various wildlife, plants, and trees in the chosen area.
Your children will learn what it means to be away from the internet or social media and its constant notifications. In the place of surfing the internet, the family members can talk to each other face to face. Studies have shown that family face-to-face interactions are on the decline. Regular camping and picnicking can reverse this dangerous trend.
If a camping trip is not possible, picnicking is another option. One advantage of picnicking is that it is less demanding in terms of organizing.
3. Reading
Reading can become a regular part of your family’s life. It can even be done each night before sleep. Children should get used to falling asleep while the reading is in progress. After supper, the family members lose themselves in a GE-rated or appropriate book — science fiction novel or an autobiography, for instance – with each person reading a page.
There can also be a post-reading discussion about the characters or plot. This should include questions or comments on the themes, styles, etc. The conversations will can always deepen understanding among the family members.
4. Movie Nights
Find a family-rated movie or series to watch with the family. A good comedy movie will always keep the family members laughing or smiling and spark lively jokes afterwards. A film based on a true story will lead to deep conversations. It can even be a movie version of a book the family recently read together.
5. Volunteer as a Family
One other way to help bring family members together is to volunteer as a family to help people in need. It’s called “giving back to the community.” It’s an opportunity to foster a sense of self-worth while improving the lives of the less fortunate out there.
It should start with asking each family member to choose the cause they want to support. The family will eventually reach a consensus on whether to visit a local hospital, clean a street one Sunday morning, or visit an area recently devastated by a natural disaster.
6. Gardening
You may have gotten used to buying your fruits, herbs, and veggies from the grocery that a suggestion to grow your own might turn you off. But starting your garden to grow some of your greens will create a bonding opportunity for your family, apart from letting you fresher, healthier produce.
You will be able to work alongside your spouse, siblings or kids in the garden when they are available. The children enjoy playing in the dirt, so they will not be reluctant to join the family in the garden. They will also learn to plant seeds, pull out weeds, apply fertilizer, water the plants, or harvest the yields.
7. Outdoor Games
It doesn’t always have to be video games or indoor games. You can get in the compound or some playground and play some popular or new outdoor games that will thrill all the family members. Take hide-and-seek or marathon around the house or home, for example.
It can be a competition to see who can build a snowman quickly enough, build a castle out of blocks in no time, or walk on stilts faster. It can even be about fashioning cute animals out of modeling clay. Oh, we should have started with biking or soccer.
8. DIY Sessions
Do-it-yourself (DIY) videos, also called how-to videos, have become very popular. They tell you how to do something by yourself. The family can watch a DIY video and then assemble the needed items to create or produce whatever the video aims to teach.
This will inevitably turn into Art and Crafts sessions. The kids will learn to be more creative and imaginative along the way.
Wrapping It Up
When family members cannot even find the time to engage in these activities, they miss crucial bonding opportunities. The result can be constant family squabbling or bickering due to small misunderstandings. Family conflicts can be prevented. If these suggestions still don’t seem to bring positive results, you can seek family conflict counseling in Rye, NY.