If you're like me and you think family is just about the most important part of your life, you might have done some brainstorming trying to figure out ways to bring your family even closer together. It's hard to do that in today's world. So much of our time and energy is taken up with social networking on the Internet, nightly TV shows, gossip, the stress of trying to figure out finances. The most time you may have with your kids is when they begrudgingly help you move some furniture into StorageMart on Saturday. The only time you may get with your husband or wife is when the two of you are brushing your teeth before bed. Not exactly quality time!
Sometimes we forget that the most precious thing we'll ever have is right next to us. Therefore we have to do everything in our power to enjoy and nurture those relationships. Here are a few ideas I've come up with that have met with general approval:
Board games—There are a lot of new board games out there and they're great because they bring entertainment to the family that doesn't involve staring at the television. A game our family likes right now is called Balderdash. I think this game is fantastic at bringing out everyone's creativity. It's also good for a few laughs, as part of the game involves just making up random definitions of words, people, movies, and other categories. Instead of a board game, you can also have Trivia Night. Just remember to make the teams fair or you could be in for some yelling!
Movies—It's hard to pick one out that the whole family can agree on, but once you do, watching a movie can really bring the family together. Movies are good at helping people relieve their tensions and think about life in new ways. It's fun to go out to the movies, although that can be a little expensive, especially at night. Also, being in a theater limits how loudly you can make sarcastic comments to each other; however, it is more cost effective and fun to rent a movie or stream a movie off Netflix or Hulu. Family-friendly movies are a best-selling genre right now, so you should have no problems finding something appropriate.
Wii--I know, it may seem inappropriate as a parent to be endorsing video games, but the Wii system offers games like tennis, bowling, and skiing that require lots of physical activity. This makes them more fun to play as a family and puts a little bit of exercise into your nighttime festivities.
Neither board games, movies, or Wii are especially original as ideas for group activities, but anything involving the whole family together is going to feel new and wonderful. As soon as you get everyone laughing and smiling you'll instantly remember why life is good and why your family is the most important thing in the world.
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