Have Dedicated Family Times

Try to find regular times in your schedule when you do nothing else but spend time together as a family. For some people, dinner time works well — everyone sits down to dinner together as a family, and no other activities are planned at that time. For others, weekends, or maybe just one day of the weekend, work better.

We reserve Monday nights as our Family Nights, and try our best not to schedule anything else on that day. It’s something we look forward to.  Each week is a different theme: movie night, pizza night, decorate for the holidays, etc.  Plan each theme at least 2 week in advance & have your kid(s) have a big hand in picking the theme & planning the night. 

Don’t back down & schedule anything during your Family Time!  Just say a simple “No” & when you tell people why, because it’s your Family Night, then they are almost always ok with you saying “No”.  It means a lot to your kid(s) & will help decrease some stress!