Well, there is no need to tell you that strong family ties are among the most important things that a man can built in life. There is also no need to back up that claim with recent scientific research, but such exists and it’s always better when the scientists tell you that.
However, we live in such a world in which work and generally busy lifestyle cause us to have less and less time for the family. One can argue that has been an issue since the dawn of modern civilization, but the facts speak for themselves – the problem is becoming more and more severe in the past couple of decades. So what can you do in order to make sure that you have built a lasting and strong bond with your kids and partner?
Naturally there is no universal formula for achieving such a thing. How easy it would all have been if that was so. Still, there are several tactics that have proven to lay a good foundation for the process of family bonding, like:
- Learn to prioritize. Even though work is important, there are very few people who actually feel happy from investing all their energy and time into their careers. And most importantly, such people rarely have families. If you put your family first, you put your happiness first. Most likely you already do very good at the office, there is no need to stay late every night.
- Once you are at home, focus your attention on the family. Talk with the rest of the members of your household how did their day go, play games together or simply stay in one place and do your thing – watch TV, read a book or build miniature models, whatever works for you. The important thing is to switch off the phone and the laptop, and give the people who are closest to you the undivided attention that they deserve.
- Do things together on the weekends. It might be travelling, going to museums or the park, making picnics, flying kites – the possibilities are infinite. Nothing brings a family closer together than a shared passion for something, so find yours and stick with it. You will benefit on so many levels from that.
- Divide the responsibility for the household chores between family members. Thus you will give everyone the feeling they contribute to the well-being of the home. You can do the dishes while your partner loads the washing machine, and the kids get their rooms in order, or something like that. When some unusual task comes around, for example when you are moving homes, get everyone involved too. On one hand that will make the process easier to handle, and on the other you will have fun and bond along the way, learning to work together on difficult and sometimes taunting tasks. It is neither that scary not troublesome as it may sound to you right now, so just give it a chance.