Between work, school, chores and extracurriculars, many families find it difficult to squeeze in the time to really connect. Many parents feel as though they are constantly on the go, over scheduled and overwhelmed with the responsibilities of raising a family. In fact, even with the use of technology and screen time, there are several outside resources that can claim the family’s free time and focus.
This is where family meetings come in. There are several reasons that family meetings are important. Not only are they great for communication but they help you to really connect and problem solve as a team.
Improve Closeness, Communication and Responsibility
Family meetings have a huge impact on how close you are as a family and helps everyone to communicate more effectively. Being able to communicate is extremely important, especially for children because they need to feel as though they are being heard.
By allowing everyone to be involved in family problem solving and decisions making, kids view themselves as having some responsibility when it comes to creating a positive environment in the home. This helps to make your children feel as though they are an important part of their family.
Holding frequent family meetings, makes it clear to your family that respecting one another and spending time together is a priority of everyone in the household.
Learn New Skills
Children learn valuable skills when family meetings are held. Skills such as cooperation, compromise and openness to other people’s thoughts will help to teach your children to communicate effectively in their lives outside the home.
Even though you as a parent, set limits for what is acceptable behaviour, family meetings allow everyone to have input. This teaching kids to propose solutions, examine situations and evaluate results with support, guidance and modeling from their siblings and parents.
As kids start to see that they are capable of sourcing solutions to problems, they will be able to work through issues with confidence.
There are so many benefits to holding frequent family meetings. In fact, having one at least once a week is the best way to solidify a great routine. Family meetings will help to bring your family closer and allow for you to work together as a team, communicating effectively. Not only that but it will help your kids develop new skills and the confidence they need to navigate through life’s situation on their own.
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