For example, if your family usually plans on watching a movie together on Wednesday nights and you can’t do it that night, then you might say, “I know we said Wednesday night would be movie night, but I’m so stressed out about this test tomorrow. Can we move it to another night this week?”
Give your full attention to your family members when they are talking, such as by putting away all distractions (cell phone, computer, etc. ) and looking them in the eye. Ask questions to show that you are interested, such as “What happened next?” “How do you feel about that?” and “What do you plan to do about it?” Show you are paying attention by nodding and making neutral statements, such as “yes,” “uh-huh” and “I see. ”
Traditions such as going around the table at Thanksgiving and saying what each person is thankful for is a good way of showing this appreciation.
When a conflict arises, use good communication skills and empathy to solve the problem. For example, instead of shouting at each other, allow everyone a chance to talk without being interrupted. While each person is talking, have the rest of the family listen closely and try to understand what the person is saying.
Remember to compromise to avoid arguments and resolve them. Also, remember that perfect unity will not exist all the time in any family.
You can also create longer running routines, such as weekly grass mowing or a monthly road trip.
With children and teens, it can be helpful to rotate the chores. This way, everyone learns to cook, do laundry, etc. This eliminates any feelings of unevenness in the chore disbursement, and teaches all children to be relatively self-sufficient.
Once the responsibilities are finished, the whole family can reap the benefits and enjoy your time together.
Avoid putting work before family plans. Don’t cancel family outings and other family plans if you can help it. This can be difficult, especially if you have a demanding job, but if you frequently cancel on your family to work late or pick up an extra shift, then this can affect your family’s sense of unity. Making your family aware that they are your main priority. Your family might not know how much they matter to you. To ensure that they know, try mentioning it. For example, you might start a conversation about values over dinner one night and say something like, “I think the thing that I value the most is my family. ” Limiting individual outings. Having too many things going on outside of your home may also interfere with your ability to form a strong family unit. This means that you may have to be pickier about what sort of extracurricular activities or hobbies you and your family members engage in. For example, instead of having your kids do three or four different extracurriculars, have them just pick one or two that they really like.
An example of a tradition is cooking Easter salmon every year at a family gathering. You can also have weekly traditions, such as Taco Tuesday, family game night on Thursdays, or Saturday morning walks.
For example, you could sit down to eat dinner and talk with your family on three or four nights of every week. Or, you could plan on playing board games together once per week, such as on a Friday or Saturday evening. Try to identify something that will fit into your routine and allow you to enjoy each other’s company.
