Families often put a lot of energy into birthdays, holidays, vacations, and other big events. These moments can be meaningful, but family relationship specialists often note that children tend to feel especially close during smaller traditions that repeat in everyday life. A weekly pancake breakfast, a bedtime reading routine, a Saturday walk, or a familiar…
Families often place a great deal of emotional importance on vacations, special outings, and once-a-year experiences. Those moments can certainly matter, but family relationship specialists often note that children tend to hold onto smaller, repeated outings just as strongly sometimes even more so. A familiar park visit, a regular weekend walk, a simple stop for…
Kids will often be much more affected by how you say something, rather than by the thing you actually say. A boundary that’s stated in a relaxed manner might be fine with a child, but the very same instruction, if delivered with tension, impatience or as though it’s an emergency, can really upset them. People…
Families often feel pressure to create exciting plans, surprising outings, and memorable experiences that stand out from ordinary life. While novelty can be enjoyable, family relationship specialists generally note that familiar activities often carry deeper long-term meaning for children. A repeated walk, a regular game night, a favorite park visit, or a familiar baking ritual…
We often have a lot riding on the weekend with the family. Mom and Dad might really want to spend quality time together after all the hustle of school and work, but the weekend can easily fill up with things to do, time on phones and tablets, sports and all the usual stuff around the…
Birthdays, holidays, vacations, and big parties are very important to families and people usually get a lot of feelings from them. However, experts in families and how they work say the little things we do all the time as a family probably have a much bigger effect on kids over the years. Bedtime stories, Friday…
You’ll probably find your kids push boundaries, even after you’ve told them the rules, and told them again. It can seem like they’re doing it on purpose or trying to be difficult, particularly if they do it a lot. But those who study how children grow usually say it’s completely typical and something to anticipate….
We tend to find family traditions important because we do them again and again, but simply doing things over and over isn’t the whole story. Traditions are often at their best when kids aren’t just at them, but are actually a part of making them happen. For example, a child who picks the sprinkles for…
We usually plan things to do with the family because they are stimulating, full of fun, or just to occupy everyone, but kids can get a lot out of doing things together that are more restful. At home with lots going on, it’s easy for the school day, shopping, screen time and going to bed…
Families tend to load a lot of feeling onto important occasions. We often think of holidays, vacations, birthday parties, and special plans as the things our kids will remember forever. And while these things are good, experts on family relationships say that doing something over and over actually builds a different type of value. A…