Making Time for Those You Love Most {Guest Post}

It doesn’t matter what you do. Whether you work for a high-powered company and are constantly busy and on the go or you’re a stay-at-home parent, you'll likely find that there just aren’t enough hours in the day. So much of our lives are spent rushing from one place to another, trying to cross items off our to-do lists.

This makes it all too easy to lose sight of what’s really important – our children and spouses – and neglect to spend time with them. Vow to yourself, right now, that you’ll make a change and start finding new ways to spend time with your family, even if it means leaving the SEO company a little early each day or refusing to take on extra hours at work.

Eat (and Make!) Dinner Together

Do you make time to eat dinner together every night? If you’re like most busy families, the answer is probably no, but eating together is incredibly important. It helps you find out what’s going on in your children’s and spouse’s lives and connect and bond at the end of the day. Even if you can’t make dinner together a nightly ritual, aim for family meal time at least once a week. As an added bonus, you can get the whole family involved in the cooking part, which leads to more togetherness. Build up a repertoire of recipes where a little kid help will go a long way. Even the littlest hands can help in the kitchen with these easy kid recipes.

Have a Family Meeting

It might sound like something out of “The Brady Bunch,” but having a weekly family meeting is a great idea for families who otherwise don’t get to spend much time together. Use the meeting to talk about things that have happened during the week, to arrange schedules for the following week, and just to enjoy being together. Remember that you can make it fun, too! Try incorporating a craft activity or making favorite goodies for everyone to enjoy.

Family Game Nights for Fun and Fellowship

Who doesn’t love playing a board game? If you think your family could benefit from a little friendly competition, then plan a family game night once a week or however often you can manage it.

Work together to pick a game, or take turns letting each family member pick one. You should also put someone in charge of refreshments, aiming to get as many people involved as possible. While it can be hard to find a game for everyone to enjoy if you’ve got kids of different ages, this great list is sure to offer something your whole family can love.

It’s Not What You Do That Matters

Remember that it’s not what you do together that matters. It simply matters that you make the effort to put your family first and spend time with them above all else. If you do that, everything should fall into place. 

Adrienne is a freelance writer, blogger, and aspiring novelist. When she’s not writing, you might find her daydreaming about traveling to France, whipping up some tasty Pinterest recipes, or reading voraciously. This post may contain advertising links but no monetary compensations were exchanged.