family

Families: how to make them stronger so they stay together?

In the UK and I suspect many other countries too, the school half term is now over.

How did the holiday break go with you and your family?

This includes grandparents and anyone else who may have been involved with providing child care for younger children or ‘entertainment’ for older ones in half term week.

Hopefully you all had a wonderful time. But if my memory of being a working mum serves me right, this was not always the case. There is often so much expectation of the fun of being together, but without the ground work already in place, anticipation can turn to disappointment, frustration and fatigue. read more

By Alison Wem, ago

Families who eat together stay together

Its is Spring Bank Holiday in the UK so it seemed right to talk about families and how we can improve the time we spend together. My observation is there are many benefits from families who eat together.

In our busy 21st century lives, there is a trend towards families eating their meals from trays watching TV rather than sitting to a table and facing each other.  Likewise teenagers, if allowed, will take their food and eat in their bedrooms.

Eating a meal at a table together as a family strengthens the family bond.  Over the meal conversation will flow backwards and forwards between parents, between parents and children.  By sharing their day’s news, family members are more involved with each others lives.  This gives opportunities to support one another and for parents to guide a child. read more

By Alison Wem, ago