Is your home the peaceful, happy place you always wanted it to be? A loving environment is essential to a happy family life. But as much as you love your partner and kids, frustrations, disagreements, and arguments can allow an entirely different atmosphere to permeate the entire house. One negative word leads to another, all day long!
So what can you do to reduce this negativity?
As it turns out, most of the difficulties you encounter with your loved ones most likely occur from miscommunications.
Try these communication strategies and activities to bring that loving feeling back into your home:
- Be open and honest with one another. While being honest, be kind when saying something that may cause a family member any distress. They are more receptive when you use kind words and a pleasing tone of voice.
- Have some fun each day. It’s important to have fun together as a family. Family fun doesn’t have to take up a lot of time. It can be as simple as having ice cream cones or playing with your pets. Simple things can make a big difference in how the communication flows in a home.
- Set priorities for chores that everyone must do. Agree on who does what chores and when they should do them. Let everyone participate with age-appropriate tasks. Write them on a chore chart for clear communication. Setting them up ahead of time can prevent a lot of arguments!
- Keep privacy boundaries. Adults and kids both need their privacy on a regular basis. Ensure that the kids understand the importance of respecting this priority.
- Have a family meeting each week to discuss family issues. Find a time in which everyone in the family can attend. Hold the meeting every week, preferably at the same time. In the meeting, let each family member speak their mind, even if it’s a complaint. Solve challenges, run ideas by each other, and make plans for the future together.
- Allow some free time. Everyone needs some time to do things on their own or with their friends. This can be a variety of activities, depending on the person. Meeting this need will help each family member feel more satisfied, fulfilled, and open to communicating.
- Spend holidays and special events together as a family. Strengthen your family bond with special occasion family traditions. Let the kids share their ideas about the occasion, too.
- Establish a weekly family night. Make time just to enjoy being together. Watch movies, play games, or have story time. Encourage laughter and open communication.
- Learn to negotiate. Learning to compromise and come up with win-win solutions for everyone involved is a priceless skill that will serve your family members well throughout their lives.
- Say, “I love you.” Each day, remember to show your spouse and kids how much you love them. Share loving, encouraging words and hugs freely throughout the day – even if it’s a hard day. (Especially if it’s a hard day!)
A happy home makes a very nice place to live, play, and look forward to the future! A happy home welcomes your loved ones when they return from work or other outings. They can leave the stresses of the outside world behind as they enter the loving sanctuary of home.
Practice these communication strategies to create a loving environment in your home. You’ll be glad you did!
