Enjoying Family Weekend

This weekend many will be enjoying an extra statutory day off.   Alberta was the first province that started the holiday in 1990.  Only recently Saskatchewan gave people in its territories a day off for family time (2007), followed the next year by Ontario (2008).  This year British Columbia had their first Family Day last week.  Even secular organizations recognize the importance of the family for community wellbeing.  How much more should we, believers in Biblical Creation, cherish family relationships, family time, family love! 

I heard an interesting illustration given by a GYC 2012 speaker.  When a dating couple breaks up, they destroy pictures. The more angry is the break up, the more pictures of past smiles will be cut.  Same with the devil – he cannot stand the memories of the pre-fall ideal, when the Family and the Sabbath rest were pictures of God’s presence in this world.  Just as the Fall marred the image of God, so is satan trying to destroy pictures of God in our world – the Family and the Day of Rest.

Russian writer Lev Tolstoy said “happy families are all alike.”  Today sociologists say that happy families share certain basic characteristics. Consider these (edited from Reader's Digest):

1. Cuddle! You can’t overdose on hugs. This kind of positive touch helps kids feel loved and secure, and...it’s fun for parents J

2. Singing together. Especially during time of family worship J. Use music to motivate house chores.  Saturate your home with music!

3. Fun. Children’s schoolwork and extracurricular activities are important, but too much emphasis on work will create tension and anxiety. Time of rest is important too. Play games, plot surprise parties, take long walks, go exploring, plant a garden.

4. Exercise. Take a run or a bike ride to a local park as a whole family, even if you have to wait for mom J. This kind of outing allows parents to model healthy behavior, get exercise, and spend time with their kids.

5. Healthy habits. Leave out bowls of fruit, cut vegetables, nuts, dried fruit.

6. Cook together. Get kids interested in healthy foods together with teaching cooking, measurement, teamwork, and improvisational skills. Kids who help making meals are more likely to eat them J.

7. Reward good behavior. No need to be extravagant. A trip, a movie and popcorn, or a slightly later bedtime can be good motivators.

8. Read and write together. Reading is for every day! Have the whole family read together. Encourage journaling, so children would write daily.

9. One-on-one time. Parents with more than one child should try to spend a little time interacting just with one child each day, even if it’s ten minutes.

10. Have routines. Kids thrive when they know what to expect. So bedtime routines minimize night-time misbehaviour.  Same with morning routines.

11. Appreciate each other. Show how much you value each other, even if it is happy face every time a child returns from school or a parent from work.

12. “Sorry” isn’t enough. It’s not enough to apologize. Find a way to help heal the hurt that was caused, by helping with a chore or sharing.

13. Prioritize your Marriage! The most important thing you can do for your child is to love your spouse and to demonstrate that love.