Children, nowadays, are being influenced by many factors in our society. Never have kids had such direct access to such a plethora of unfiltered information right at their fingertips. This information has the potential to influence kids for good OR for bad. While we may not be able to shield our children from all of this information, we can certainly play a major role in ensuring that our kids get accurate information from us.
Having a dedicated family night can do just that. It can help us, as parents, keep our finger on the pulse of what’s going on in our children’s lives. We get to hear how our kids are thinking and then determine how we can assist them to understand or think about a topic in a more balanced or healthy way. Since it’s done in such a relaxed and non-confrontational way, kids find it easy to open up
and really speak what is on their minds.
Family nights are great for teaching and informing kids, as I have already statedabove, but there are many other benefits of family nights. In this relaxed setting, games can be played; you can read books together, you can do role playing together to teach social issues, or do one to be silly. Family night can be whatever you want it to be. Just use a little imagination, and it conforms to anything you can imagine.
There are only a few rules to remember for a successful family night:
1. Make it fun, even when you are discussing difficult issues
2. Make the time a judgment-free time
3. Make the time so inviting that children look forward to it
4. Be as consistent with it as possible
5. Have some yummy snacks together
The biggest bonus to family night is that you and your children will create a bond with each other that is so strong that nothing will be able to penetrate it, and that’s exactly what we want. Please share how your family nights are going in the comments below.
Pamela Pertillar
