In today's busy world it can sometimes be difficult to find time to
really communicate with the rest of your family. Some days, you might
even feel like you hardly talked to each other at all. Because good
communication is one of the cornerstones of strong family relationships,
it's important to find ways that you can improve your family's ability
to communicate. If you're ready to help build better communication
skills in your family, here are some tips that can help.
1. Set Aside Time for Each Other
A
lack of time is often one of the most common reasons why the lines of
communication within a family break down. Frequently everyone is rushing
around following their own personal schedule, without too much regard
for each other's schedules. When this happens, it can be difficult to
even find yourself at the same place at the same time with your family
members, much less communicate effectively with them. If possible, try
to set specific times when nobody schedules any other events. Make the
most of your time together by turning off the television and radio. You
might be surprised how much you enjoy simply talking to your family,
even if it's just to discuss what went on during your day.
2. Develop Family Traditions
Developing
a few traditions or family rituals can also be a good way to create
more time to communicate. Instituting a family movie night, a bedtime
story time, or even just eating dinner together can help connect family
members on a regular basis. Planning short trips to take together with
the family on the weekends can also be a good way to spend quality time
together. Be sure to bring your camera along on your trips, since you'll
probably enjoy displaying a few photos of these events in picture
frames around your home.
3. Create a Family Schedule
Keeping
a family schedule or calendar is another good way to keep track of what
everyone is doing. It can be much easier to find open blocks of time on
everyone's schedule when there is a calendar to refer to. Try printing
out a calendar, schedule or other kinds of documents that everyone can
refer to. Displaying the family schedule and calendar in picture frames
on the wall can be a great way to stay abreast of everyone else's
schedule. When you schedule time to spend together as a family, be sure
to mark this on the calendar as well.
4. Spend Individualized Time Together
Although
spending time together as a family is very important, it's also
important to create opportunities for "one-on-one" time with each other.
Schedule activity dates with your children, and implement a regular
weekly "date night" with your spouse. Devoting special time to each
other is a great way of demonstrating how important you are to each
other. Even if it's something as simple as taking a child to the grocery
store so they can pick out their favorite breakfast cereal, or
grabbing a quick lunch with your teenage daughter, you'll undoubtedly be
creating memories for both of you. Be sure to take a few photos on
these activity dates. Then, display them in picture frames around your
home as a reminder of your special time spent together.
So if
you feel that your family communication is lacking, don't lose heart.
These tips will help you improve your communication in no time.