Make Family Time Your New Years Resolution!!!

According to Youth Villages Article Studies show most people don’t keep their New Year’s resolutions. Start the new year off right after the tumultuous excitement of the holidays and New Year’s has passed by resolving to do more of something that really makes a difference: spending more quality time with your family. By entering regular family events into your calendar or day planner, you will be more likely to keep your pledge and actually improve your family dynamics.


Time typically is the rarest commodity in families’ lives, especially when both parents work full-time jobs. As a result, families can find it hard to make time for family time.

But scheduling in time for family can change how everyone in the household feels about one another and improve family interactions for the long haul, said Shereka Jackson, a therapist at the Youth Villages-Inner Harbour Campus in Douglasville.

Spending quality time together as a family does not mean you need to spend more money, Jackson said, or change the way you live your life. Here are some simple steps you can take to help improve your family life in the new year and build lasting memories at the same time:

1.  Eat together.
Make a resolution to cook and eat more family meals together every week. Studies show that children who participate in regular family meals are less likely to engage in risky behavior. This is especially important for teenagers. Sharing meals is a great way to have positive conversation, enjoy one another’s company and bond as a family. Just stay away from sticky topics and anything else that could create conflict. Dinner time should be a time to enjoy one another’s company. Children can help set and clear the table, and some will enjoy helping prepare the meal.

2. Find a new fun family activity or hobby.
Sit down and talk. There’s got to be some family activity everyone can do together. For some families, game nights work well, whether they choose board or video versions. Interactive video games that make you get up and move around the living room give kids and parents a chance to burn a few calories as well.
An easy, cost-free and purposeful way to fulfill this resolution is to do family volunteer work. Serve up meals together at a food kitchen, walk dogs or groom at an animal shelter, or mentor a child or teen.

3. Read together.
Many parents read to younger children but give up reading together as children get older. Set a time to read together once a week or every night before bedtime. It’s also a great way to wind down. Either take turns reading out loud, listen to a book on tape or have everyone read their own book or magazine.

4. Develop some new family rituals.
Homemade pizza or BBQ on Friday night, movie or board game nights on Saturdays, afternoon walks with or without the family dog on Sunday afternoons, etc. Children like and thrive on rituals, and family traditions are wonderful memories to look back on.

5. Try making everyday activities, including chores, fun.
Make a game or contest out of chores, giving out stickers as rewards or singing a song together while tidying up. Make it a point to have fun together doing everyday things.

6. Set a couple of hours a month or quarter aside for each of your children to spend time alone with one parent.
Use this time to do something special together your child wants to do and indulge in some rare one-on-one time.

7. Walk it out.
Go for an afternoon family walk in the neighborhood or early evening to see which homes are decorated for the holidays. Return home for hot cocoa and cookies eaten at the dinner table.

8. Be positive!
Once a week, use dinner time to have every family member say one positive thing about each family member. It can be as simple as, “I love mom’s cooking” or, “Dad’s tie is cool,” or it can be more involved, such as praising how a family member handled a certain situation. Saying something nice teaches children to give and accept compliments and can dissolve hostile environments creating more harmonious relationships.

9. Make it a tradition to involve your family in how they envision the next year for the family.
Have every family member come up with ideas of what they would like to do together in 2012. Write all suggestions down and save them in a specified spot, so you can find them easily. Next year, get last year’s ideas out, review them and then come up with a new set for the new year.

10. Be more active together.
Spend a couple of hours once a month together doing an outdoor activity – stroll through the city park, play soccer or basketball in the yard, buy a badminton set, teach your children to play volleyball, go sledding, drive to a lake or beach for swimming or walking, take a family bike ride, find interesting places to go for a walk: the river promenade, different parks, down main street, a historic neighborhood or cemetery, a new subdivision, etc. If the weather doesn’t permit outdoor activity, get a gym membership for the whole family and take everyone along for workouts.

If you need help maintaining your home or certain areas of your home so you can spend more time with your family , you can always call Brite Touch Cleaning GA, now 1 678 752 1041 or fill out our price quote at www.britetouchcleaningga.com We could help you with one of our cleaning packages one time,weekly, Every 2, 3 or 4 weeks

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