Family Matters

How do you fit in family downtime? 

It’s easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of day-to-day activities. Getting ahead in your professional life and balancing your family’s schedules means that family downtime gets put to the side far too often. Here are a few ways that you can adjust your life and reconnect with your family for some much needed downtime.

Sometimes finding the time to get everyone together can be the most daunting task. Between soccer practice, school recitals, your job, and other obligations, it is difficult to sit and spend time with your family. Pick a date and stick to it. Whether it is later in the week or later in the month, the important thing is that you find a date where the whole family can come together. Don’t let last-minute plans creep in either. That means you may have to say “no” to friends and other family members or even to your children when they want to go to a last-minute birthday party. Make your family the top priority and show your family how important it is that you all spend time together.

Planning ahead is extremely important. Have a few options of what you want to do and let the family decide. Plan a picnic at the park, go to the zoo, or take the family to a ballgame. When the weather doesn’t cooperate, plan a board game night or watch a movie as a family and talk about your favorite parts when the film is over. The most important thing is to remember you’re trying to spend quality time with your family and it’s not necessarily what you are doing but the fact that you are all together.

If your weekends are already jam packed with events, turn dinnertime into the most important time of the day. Turn off the TV, turn off the phone and turn to each other for entertainment. Ask your children how their day was and let them talk. Listen to them and let every member at the table be involved. A strong, open relationship with your children means that they will be more comfortable coming to you when they are having problems at school, in their relationships, or with any other problems while growing up.

Family downtime can be accomplished if you put in a little effort. Bringing everyone together will help reestablish closeness within your family. By putting family first and doing a little bit of planning you can turn something that seems like a chore into a wonderful new family tradition.

How do you fit in family downtime?