Keeping Families Together (When Everyone Is Busy)
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Summer is racing past at our house!
If you’ve got kids, it’s probably the same in your home, too, raising the unavoidable question:
How do people keep their families together??
We’ve had a revolving door since school ended with kids coming and going to:
- sporting events
- sport camps
- youth camps
- youth conventions
- mission trips
- Bible school
- 4-H Fair
- internships
- jobs
Keeping families together when everyone is busy and going to various activities – How can we do that?
How do you spend time together when you are physically apart?
Decide when everyone will be home and save the date
For us, it’s a twenty-four hour period this Friday and we’ve carved out no other obligations for that evening.
Gather for meals if possible with the family members who are present.
It’s tempting just to leave food out for everyone to graze when family members are absent, but reinforcing family time with those present is important.
Share with each other – even with those who aren’t present.
One way our family “includes” those who might be absent for days or weeks at a time is by praying for that person while we are together. If your family doesn’t pray, share with other siblings what the absent sibling might be doing that day or what is going on in their life.
It’s one way of keeping families together while being apar
Skype or have a discussion on speaker-phone with the absent person.
Gather together when everyone is home even if it’s late at night. For a few short minutes, have each family member share a highlight of their day or week.
Stay connected in other ways – including social media! Social media is a great way to connect with absent family members and is a fun way to gather everyone “together” when apart. Technology does have it’s perks!
Other tips for keeping families together – specifically for moms who are caught in the middle of busyness include:
- Getting the right amount of rest.
- Making an effort to connect and to talk with your kids about their experiences.
- When you can, drive with your child. A lot of good talking time takes place while driving.
- Making meals ahead of time and freezing them. This allows you to have quality moments with kids rather than being rushed on busy days cooking. I routinely do this and it works!
- Spending one-on-one time with kids even though you can’t have time together with everyone. Take a child to McDonalds for breakfast during busy weeks for connecting. It’s a cheap, easy date.
- Taking a book with you to read while you’re sitting places waiting for kids. This can be a personal retreat for you – take advantage of time where you can mentally rest in busyness.
What are other ideas you have for keeping families together when everyone is busy?
The bottom line is keeping relationships strong and connected.
Families can be together physically, but be disconnected from one another.
Staying connected in busy times can be done – it’s rooted in strong relationships.
How are you surviving your busy summer?