Creating A Happy Family Life You Can All Enjoy
One thing you must put on your list of goals is creating a life that’s fun. Here’s how a happy family can balance between parenting and having fun together!
When you are having fun, laughing and joking with your family, you always will look forward to the next time you see them. If it is a drag, you will find excuses why you are not able to see them and avoid the environment altogether.
This would be a shame, as you need to have a connection with your family to reach your highest potential of happiness.
One of the main reasons we are on this Earth is enjoying our time here. What would be the point of being born if we were not happy with the journey?
Remember what I said before. When you look at a tombstone, the year on the left and the year on the right are not very important; it is the dash in the middle that counts.
And it rings so true, don’t you think? What did that person do from when they were born until the day they died? How did they spend their time? Did they enjoy their life here on Earth?
When I am with my family, especially my daughters, I make sure we have fun on a regular basis. One of the main reasons for this is, as a father, I feel it is my duty always to question their behavior and decisions in regard to their future. I want to make sure there is a balance between that and our fun times together.
I do not want to be remembered as a drill sergeant, but as a loving and caring parent who always will support them no matter what they do, where they are or what they say.
One of the many activities we did was play mini golf and ten pin bowling. Another one was shopping. With three girls you can’t even imagine how often we did that.
They would love shopping and I would love being with them while they shopped. The only difference was, they wanted to buy things all the time and I wanted to window shop all the time. Make an effort to select at least one activity, as you never will regret it and neither will your family, especially your children.
There are so many things you can do to enjoy the company of your family. For example, my brothers and I would play cards. What will your leisure activities be?
I do the same with all the other members of my family. If you ask my mother, sister and brothers, they all will tell you I love to laugh and joke with them, as life can be hectic outside the family. The last thing you want is for your family life to be chaotic as well. Even though, at times, it also can be challenging.
The old saying is you can choose your friends, but you cannot choose your relatives. And that is true. Therefore, if you cannot control who your family members will be, why not try getting along with them anyway?
One of the main jobs of being a parent is being a role model for future generations. To do this, you must be able to “walk the talk.”
I see it over and over again; parents are telling their children not to do this and not to do that, when all the while they are doing it themselves. How can you expect your family to refrain from using foul language if they hear you using profanity yourself? They will not, of course, and they just will think you are being controlling. And they are right.
“Do as I say, not as I do,” is a controlling behavior. On top of that, you lose the respect of the people and relatives with whom you associate. Now you have the problem of no respect coming from your family and you don’t know why they treat you with so much disrespect. Act the way you want your family to act and you will be proud of the fact that you did.
What we are trying to do here is influence our family and you do that by being a role model in all aspects. You are a role model whether you want to be or not. Everything you say and do is observed by your family and they will, in turn, mimic you.
So, if you do not like your children’s behavior, it most likely is because they are somehow more like you than you care to realize. For example, I hear so many people telling their family members not to lie, not to steal, and to respect their elders. Yet I see them doing exactly the same things they are telling others not to do.
So you might want to be more careful about how you behave in front of your family, as they might just become a “mini” you! Every time you go to do or say something, just consider whether it is something you wish your family to emulate and reconsider if you should proceed with the behavior. Leave them with a legacy you will be proud of instead of leaving them with regret.
So, who is your role model? Your father, mother, brother, uncle? Maybe you chose an outsider because you did not agree with your family’s behaviour. Perhaps you mirrored him or her because you liked the results he or she was getting in his or her life.
Being a role model is the best way to influence your family in the way you want them to be. And if you have a family that is being nurtured by you, it almost is guaranteed you will love them and like them just the way they are. Letting them keep their individuality, but at the same time having very few conflicts, will make you a happier person.