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3 Ways to Create Family Bonding Time

Parents need to create family bonding time in their busy schedules. Here are some ways that busy parents can use for spending more time with their family.
Family of father, mother, son and daughter having a family bonding time in garden
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You need to nurture any kind of relationship with bonding time and activities. Similarly, you need family bonding time to develop a caring and loving family. For that, parents need to carve out family time from their busy schedules. Here are some ways that busy parents can use to create family bonding time for spending more time with family and creating cherished bonds and memories that last forever in this updated post. ~ Ed.

Why is it necessary to create a family bonding time?

Some people casually think that a family is just a family – it doesn’t deserve to have a special time out of the busy work schedule. For some, family bonding time is a sheer wastage of time. Did you think and reason like that? I’m sure not.

A special time to bond with your family is as important as one of your important business meetings, or exciting parties. More of such time you’ve, the better it is for your family.

However, it’s a fact that sometimes you just can’t find enough opportunities even if you want to spend time with family, because some work or the other keeps you away.

But I strongly believe that special time for bonding with the family does make a difference – it has the power to change the way you feel about your family, and it is easy to achieve.

“Your family and your love must be cultivated like a garden. Time, effort, and imagination must be summoned constantly to keep any relationship flourishing and growing.” ~ Jim Rohn

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What is Family Bonding Time

It is the time that a family spends together meaningfully. It’s a chosen time that your family plans to interact with one another over fun projects, a group of activities, or just doing things together.

Maybe you would like to read my earlier post on why family time is important to know and understand more.

When you spend time with family, you understand why family is important to you. The real meaning of family starts making sense, and you love being together, begin to understand, love, share, care for each other. Family time is important.

“I sustain myself with the love of family.” ~ Maya Angelou

Why is it Not Easy to Find Family Time

Nowadays, both parents need to work, or single parents have to work at more than one job to make ends meet. This trend is becoming more noticeable because of the strained economy.

And after having worked for long hours, people don’t have that kind of time, energy, or patience to spend time with family, let alone bond with them.

Sometimes for parents, working around the house and trying to accomplish tasks like cooking meals, doing the laundry, or the dishes – takes most of the time, which means less time to spend with their family.

I have been guilty many a time about not having enough family bonding time, though now I am trying to find ways to spend time with family. Striking the right balance between work and family is so-so important.

It might not be easy to create a slot for family time, but it’s not difficult, and certainly not impossible.

I guess the key is to lessen the time slots that cut into your family time, just as mentioned in this post on creating meaningful family moments.

“The only rock I know that stays steady, the only institution I know that works is the family.” ~ Lee Iacocca

Ways to Create Family Bonding Time

You don’t actually have to do much to create time to bond with your family; just a few changes in habits and rescheduling of your tasks to match your family member’s schedule works wonders.

Mentioned below are three ways to make the family time easily available out of your busy schedule:

Divide the Work

Being a parent, you have a never-ending to-do list. But you need to decide the things that you can do, and those which can be delegated to other family members, or perhaps the babysitter, spouse, colleague, or even your neighbor so that you can spend time with family.

Perhaps you could tell your babysitter to pick up the kids from school, prepare dinner, and sort out the kid’s room. Or you can chalk out ways where you can coordinate errands that are located in the same place so that you can finish them in one trip and be able to use the time saved to have a family bonding time.

If family or friends offer to help, don’t be shy to accept or reach out and ask for help. May be other family or friends are ready to clean the garage or the yard for you, or water your plants one day.

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And remember not to take advantage of anyone’s generosity, instead try to offer incentives and thank them for their help.

Sometimes we need to remove the tasks we do out of guilt or because they become a habit, out of our daily schedule, so that we have more time to bond with the ones we love.

Organize Things

Do you realize that if things are not organized properly then valuable time, which could be used as family bonding time, is lost?

Sometimes you spend hours each month looking for lost files, keys, or shoes that take away much of your time. You need to create an organized system so that the things you or your family members need daily are reachable and have a regular place.

What do you achieve by this? – Hey, you waste less time and save up enough time to bond with your family!

You could have shoe racks in one corner of the house where all family members place their shoes, or a study table for books, and have a small basket or set up hooks near the door for house keys.

Similarly, each family member needs a cubby by the door to hold rain boots or coats. And before going to bed, do a last-minute check to ensure that the next day’s shoes and clothes are easily available.

Being a working mom I sometimes double the recipe and freeze one for use later in the week. This saves me a lot of time for family bonding activities. Some ideas that may work for you also include –

  • Chopping the vegetables and storing them in the fridge.
  • Steaming extra vegetables and refrigerating them for using the next day.
  • Turn your leftovers into a sandwich, or use extra fruit salad with cereal for breakfast.
  • Check out recipes that are family-friendly, easy, nutritious, and quick to make.
  • Keep your fridge stocked with frozen fruits and vegetables just in-case you need them.
  • Stock up your fridge and home with ready to eat nutritious meals, for the days when you don’t have time to cook, or are really busy.

If you are a working parent like me and have to take out time for making phone calls, checking your emails, or catch up on the social network, do so before the kids wake up in the morning, or after they go to sleep.

In-case you have to go out for work, then check if your company will let you work from home, or whether you can adjust your work hours once a week to reduce the commute.

By doing all these small tasks in an organized way, you are able to spend time with family to bond with them, which otherwise wouldn’t have been possible.

Make a Plan

Sometimes you need to get stubborn when you’re required to. Consult everybody concerned, take your calendar and just mark a date. Make a plan to have a great family bonding time that day, and stick to it! That should be as important to you as any other important appointment that you have.

Your hectic schedule and routine do not naturally allow you to take the liberty of being with your family when you want to. Sometimes you need to just snatch the opportunity, or put your foot down and have it your own way.

Just leave any other work that you might have – that means you aren’t even attending to any office calls while you’re on a mission to get busy with family time activities. Make such family time frequent and even fix up weekly family nights for an outing together.

You can mark updates in advance on your calendar so that you don’t fix up any other task or appointment on that day and time.

Also, don’t you think we as parents can limit our own activities like T.V. watching, social networking, or other habits that don’t offer much of family value, and instead prioritize to use the time for family bonding activities?

Yes, a little bit of family fun time watching some shows on T.V. together, or surfing educational sites, etc., does wonders for family bonding time, though letting your kids go overboard has its side effects.

“A family in harmony will prosper in everything.” ~ Chinese proverb

Wrap Up

It’s important to create a family bonding time in your schedule.

Remember, that it’s not about the amount of time you spend with your family; instead, it’s about how best you spend the time you have.

Even if you have 10 minutes, make that time precious for your family.

You can achieve that by diving the work, relegating tasks, organizing things and your home, and making a plan for meaningful bonding activities among other things.

The family time that you enjoy now will become cherished happy memories for all.

Over to you

Do you think it is important to have a family bonding time? Which tips would you agree with to spend more time with your family? How else do you think we can create family bonding time? Share in the comments.

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  1. It’s been a long time since I bonded with my kids due to my busy schedule, which is why I’m thinking of taking them to a family-friendly breakfast buffet. Well, thank you for sharing here that it would be best to fix my time first so it will align with my family’s schedule. It’s a good thing that you shared here the importance of organizing everything months before the planned trip.

  2. Thank you for giving me the idea to make a plan and consult with everyone involved regarding activities that they want to do. I realized that it’s been a while since my husband and I spent time with our sons because we’re occupied with other things, so this might be the perfect time to do it. I’d try to check if there are nearby fun centers where we can enjoy indoor activities as a family.

  3. Hi, sometimes due to our busy schedules we don’t have much time for a family bonding. The simple tips you mentioned makes big difference, it is a group effort that allows us to build good moments together. Thanks for sharing.

  4. Hi Harleena,

    Let’s be honest, Family is important. Our family create a support network for us to achieve our dreams and goals and sometimes even guide us in the right direction. I think this is a very much needed blog piece and everyone should follow the steps mentioned to create family bonding time. Thank you for this great post I really enjoyed it.

    Wish you a wonderful day,
    Mark Hunt

    1. Welcome to the blog Mark!

      Yes indeed, family is important and should always come first I think. They are the reason we are and their help and support is absolutely essential for us to reach our aim and goal. I understand that we all have busy lives, but it doesn’t really take much time to find ways to create a time to bond with your loved ones – isn’t it?

      Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

  5. I absolutely believe that spending time with family is important. In fact, I kind of feel lost and disconnected from life if I don’t.

    I like your idea about being organized. I laughed when I read about the keys because I often spend a lot of time looking for them, and then swearing I would never put them in a weird place again. Organization can save a lot of time!

    I also have to say that my husband and I took a few weeks and completely cut out the TV and internet in the evening. I gained a lot of insights by doing that, but probably the biggest was how much extra time I had to spend with my family and friends. We really don’t realize how much we could do in the time-span of the whole season of Survivor!

    1. Welcome to the blog Bellaisa!

      It is absolutely essential that we learn to value our families, and find ways to create family bonding time with them. Ahh…yes, the keys or things that we most need and never tend to find on time are often because we aren’t organized. It does help a great deal if we manage our things and keep them in place, and kids especially love sharing such organizational tasks with you.

      The T.V., Internet, cellphones and the kind are all major distractions that take away major of your time. At the end of the day, you hardly have any time left with your loved ones. I think it’s a nice decision to either cut off, or limit your timings on such medias that take you away from your family.

      Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

  6. Harleena,

    I love all of your posts. They always have so many good ideas for everyday life and this one is no different.

    I fully agree family bonding is very important. My children are all almost grown up now. I have a 15 and 17 year old at home still. They have their own busy life it seems.

    I still spend time with them. I still home school my son and one of the things we do is I read a chapter in a book everyday to him. My daughter joins us on the days she is home. It is just a special time we spend together each day.

    I also combine chores and spending time with my children. Many times we all clean together which can be great times to talk and just enjoy being together.

    Thanks for the great post.

    Dee Ann

    1. Glad you liked the post Dee Ann!

      Bonding with my family also means the most for me. Things do change when kids tend to grow up, especially when they are teenagers as they have their own life and routine they follow.

      I like the way you still manage to take out time for them and spend quality family bonding time with one another, which is so important. I think there’s a lot of enjoyment when a family shares or does things together, which makes it all the more easy to connect with one another – isn’t it?

      Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

  7. What an important post, Harleena!

    Thanks for taking the time to discuss this! When my family came for the wedding, it was one of the first times in a long while that we enjoyed each other’s company. But we had an excuse — we were touring around Huancayo and Lima. =) Family vacations are perfect for recuperating family time, but you’re right about how important it is to regularly plan it in. Maybe I’ll make that a goal of mine when I visit Vancouver again in December! =)

    1. Glad you found the post useful Samantha!

      Congratulations once again for your wedding, and yes, that must have been a wonderful time to bond with your loved ones and to have everyone gathered together as a family – isn’t it? Even if we have to make excuses for creating a time to bond with our family, I think it’s absolutely alright as we are able to be together and enjoy each others company.

      Yes indeed, family vacations are rejuvenating and a wonderful way to connect with one another, though we need to remember to find some time from our daily routines to be with our family.

      Thanks for stopping by. It’s always a pleasure to have you over. 🙂

  8. My husband and I both struggle to find the time to be together with the kids. He works away in the week. I work from home and struggle to find the time to juggle work and being a mom. The kids take priority for me and I get work done at the weekend when my husband is home. So we never really get to spend quality time together at the weekends. This needs to change.

    1. Welcome to the blog Sue!

      Yes indeed, things do become tough for working parents, but whatever little time that you do get, I am sure you must be spending it to create family bonding time. Being a working mom and juggling between your work and home is not easy, especially when your husband isn’t around most of the time. But I like the way you are able to manage things and take the time to connect with your family over the weekends, which is wonderful.

      I guess all that really matters is that we make out some time to bond with our loves ones, and if you manage to do that over the weekends it’s absolutely alright, till you manage too make more time.

      Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

  9. Hi Leena,

    Another wonderful post about parenting. When my kids were little, I had, off and on due to crazy work schedule, a family night each week. I was working at a pizza place, a video store and an office so time was limited. I love # 3, because if there is no plan, there will be family time.

    As often as possible I would have family night which usually consisted of picnics in the living room watching a movie I got from video store, and pizza from pizza place. The kids really like this cause we would all sit on the floor and cuddle. If it was winter time, we would light the fire place. I loved this time. However, doing it every week was hard, but as long as I had a plan, it was something to strive for. Sally

    1. Glad you liked the post Sally,

      You were really multi-tasking way back then, and hats-ff to you for being able to manage things so well that time and working at so many places altogether. I guess what matters most is that even though you have your hands full and have to work to earn a living, it just takes a few minutes to bond and connect with your family, something that we all need to do- no matter what- isn’t it?

      I love the way you managed to create time to bond with your family, even though you were so busy and that’s what is needed from all of us. Kids also realize that even though their parents are busy, they will take out time for us, may be during the weekends, in the evenings, while meal times, or just about going or doing anything where you are all together.

      Thanks so much for your wonderful comment. And it sure is great to have you back 🙂

      1. Thanks for the ‘welcome back’, Leena. It has been a tough year, but a good one. I’m glad to be back.

        I also want to say I am proud to be the mother of 3 wonderful children who all are college graduates and one has her doctorate. So good to see your children accomplish so much! Sally

        1. It sure is nice to have you back now after all that you have undergone.

          Wonderful to know how great your kids are doing, and yes, I guess partly it’s because you have somehow managed to juggle between working and still managing to create family bonding time with them, which is so much needed nowadays.

          Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

  10. I have to admit that as a family, we could do a better job of family time. It’s hard, though, when both parents work at opposite ends of the day to get much time as a full family (not to mention also getting time with just you and your spouse). It’s important to take advantage of the time you do have, even if it’s not the full family.

    Trips to the park, going to the zoo, even an evening out together can provide great opportunities to connect together as a family. At least once a year, we also take a trip with all of us together for fun and to enjoy spending time together.

    Teaching kids how to do chores, such as laundry, and teaching them how to cook are also great ways to spend time with them. You can have great conversations while you’re folding cloths or cutting onions, or whatever you happen to be doing..

    You have some great tips here! Thanks for sharing!

    1. Glad you could relate to the post Grady!

      I think most of us could do a better job of spending more time with our families, or adjust our schedule so that we can connect with our loved ones. I agree that with both parents working there’s hardly any time to spend with one another, whether with our spouse or with our kids and other family members. But we do need to reschedule things in such a way that there’s some quality time taken out for bonding with our family, even a few minutes of quality time are good enough, or else you would never really be able to connect with them- isn’t it?

      Yes indeed, any place is alright as long as you are together as a family and have fun time with one another. And kids love it when you teach them things as there’s nothing better than sharing things with kids who are willing to learn, as you get to spend time together and teach them too.

      Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

  11. You’re absolutely right on this, Harleena!

    It is especially important when we look at the family dynamics in society today. For instance, my partner and I have had to formulate our own family, because neither of our blood related members are as accepting of the relationship. I know it’s because it’s a different approach to what family is, and that is mostly fear based. I’m cool with that – now, anyways – it took a moment for me to adjust to the fact that not everyone will understand the life that we’ve decided to live.

    However, we have done splendidly building our family together. We always make time for one another, and set aside the weekend and evening hours during the week to communicate our feelings about various things concerning the both of us. It’s not a traditional family, but it is mine, for now. 🙂

    Great message, my friend. Thank you for sharing this with us. Cheers!

    1. Glad you could relate to the post Deeone!

      I can well understand the family formulated in your case, even though it’s a different approach to what a family is. But I really don’t think that matters, or shouldn’t bother anyone either because it’s you and your partner who have decided to create your own family and are content and happy with the way things are.

      I guess if you are really able to find time to connect with each other, and spend time with each talking and discussing things over – then that is what really matters. Even though it’s not a traditional family but it still is a family complete in itself. 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences with everyone. Always a pleasure to have you over. 🙂

  12. I strongly agree with you. There’ s no perfect time other than family bonding time. Every family must allot some time to spend with each other. It can be just at home, doing things together while talking and sharing. It could also be at least once a week during weekends when all of you are free.

    1. Welcome to the blog Francheska!

      Glad you could relate to the post, and yes, there’s no better time than the one spent with your loved one connecting or bonding with them. All that really matters is that you find ways and means to spend time with our family, which can be while doing anything that you want- but together.

      Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

  13. Hey!

    Have been missing for over a month now! Glad to be back! 🙂

    I love the topic; I feel it is more of an effort on everyone’s behalf to do this. If we find time and have it on our minds that we have to establish some time for our family alone. And once we do this, we will realize how important and how much are we gaining from this. In our family, we make it a point to have dinner together. Food is a lovely way to bond and makes so much more sense when everyone is talking and discussing their day over dinner.

    It has been a family tradition that has always been followed; and something each one of us looks forward to. I love the tips you share here.

    Glad to be reading your posts again!

    1. Nice to have you back Hajra!

      Glad you loved the post, and yes, to create time for family to connect with one another should be an effort that everyone should make. It just requires a little bit of adjustment from each family members busy schedule, to chalk out ways and time yourself so that each one can have time for one another.

      Yes indeed, meal times are something that we also make sure we have together, which further carries on into a few minutes of discussions about the way we all spent our day and what all we all did. Dinner time is what works well with most families, especially where there are working parents or grown up kids who are studying or working.

      I guess what really matters is that you make that effort to reach out and connect with one another, whenever and however possible – isn’t it?

      Thanks so much for stopping by. It’s always a pleasure to have you over. 🙂

  14. Very informative post!

    I agree that organizing and planning are crucial in creating family bonding time–especially if you want to ensure that it is consistently happening. This especially rings true for larger families and families where everyone is busy with their own schedules. It may take some doing, but when you’ve planned it and are in the enjoyment of the moment, there is nothing like it.

    Thanks for sharing!

    1. Nice to see you and glad you found the post informative Melisa!

      Yes indeed, if we are able to organize, plan, and schedule our time well enough, we can easily take out the much required family bonding time and time for other tasks also. Lives and people nowadays are busy and it gets tough at times to take out the time to connect with our loved ones, even though we want to. I guess it works well if everyone gives in a little and manages to schedule their time with others to make things work.

      Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

  15. Hi Harleena,

    I have been thinking about this quite a bit lately. I have been working very hard and doing a million different things so the kids haven’t seen me as much. That is not something that I like. I want them to see us doing more things as a family and not as separate units.

    Things work better and go more smoothly at home when we do it all together.

    1. Glad you could relate to the post Jack!

      I can well understand your situation, which is so similar to a lot of other working parents who spend most of their time working and unknowingly and not wanting to, they do tend to neglect their kids and families. Yes, you couldn’t be wanting nor liking doing that and would want more time to connect and bond with them.

      I think the only solution lies in dropping all your work and scheduling a set time to spend with your kids and family, and yes, sticking to a plan helps because you are then divide your work and time spend with the kids and thus manage to do both without feeling guilty or bad about missing out on either.

      Thanks for stopping by. It’s always a pleasure to have you over. 🙂

  16. Hi Harleena,

    I so agree that family time is extremely important. Parents need to continually bond with their children as their grow and change. You mentioned sharing in the preparing of a meal, which is great. Sitting down to the family dinner on a regular basis is one of the best things that a family can do. It is the perfect time to check in and see how everyone is doing. Thanks for the great tips!

    1. Welcome to the blog Cathy!

      Glad that you could resonate with the post. Family bonding is so essential and yes, parents need to connect more with their kids all through their growing years, and even once they have become adults! I guess parenting never ends, nor does the bonding – isn’t it?

      Ahh…my kids love to cook with me, and sometimes they just go to the kitchen and will cook up something that they like, so such kind of activities help us bond with the kids and make it all a fun time learning experience as well. Yes indeed, having dinner together on the dinner table is the perfect time and place to share about your day, which can turn into a nice time to bond with your loved ones.

      Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

  17. Well Harleena, you know I can only add my two cents worth from past experience since I don’t have a family of my own.

    We didn’t really have any family bonding time although we did sit down to dinner together every night. My Mom was always doing something. There were three kids and my Dad traveled the majority of the time. We all had chores and responsibilities of our own to do too

    I think that if at all possible the things that need to get done around the house should be divided up and there should be a time once a week that you all sit down as a family and enjoy each other’s company. Or at least try. That would have been hard in our family because we all didn’t get along.

    You definitely laid out some good tips to follow though so I’ll leave that in your very reliable hands.

    ~Adrienne

    1. Glad you could relate to the post Adrienne!

      I know you don’t have a family of your own, but yet you could relate so well to your parents and when you were them.

      I think moms are always doing something or the other, just like my mom used to do. I have yet to see her sit idle and do nothing! Even when she used to talk to us or watch television, her hands were always occupied and busy working. I can well understand how things get when there’s a single parent taking care of the kids, while the other parent has to move out for work – it sure isn’t easy. However, I am glad you managed to find time for dinner. 🙂

      Yes indeed, work should always be divided and delegated to all the members of the family, so that no one person is stressed out or drained off. Weekends normally work well for most families, where they can share each others experiences about the week spent and talk out things. I think such kind of a time is so-so important to get to know more about each other.

      Where kids or family members don’t get along, it becomes all the more essential to spend more time together I feel, so that the differences can be resolved and there’s better communication among everyone. I guess all that really matters is that you spare some time for each other to bond and connect – isn’t it?

      Thanks for stopping by and adding more value to the post. It’s always a pleasure to have you over. 🙂

  18. I think family bonding needs planning and scheduling of time .The bonding time may be short,but it must give fulfillment.I have seen many homes where parents neglect their children or grown up children neglect their old parents.Humans become selfish when they are in power,however ,a successful person looks forward and backward at his life for analysis

    1. Welcome to the blog Asma!

      You surely do need to schedule and take out time to bond or spend time with your family. And even if it’s for a short period of time, it is good enough for you to connect with your loved ones – isn’t it? Yes indeed, with the busy lives nowadays, often kids are neglected by their parents, even though they may not be wanting that to happen, but sometimes the circumstances are such. However, that’s no excuse not to take out family time!

      Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

  19. That’s so right!

    When people become closer to each other their relationship survives the big problems they encounter.
    Thank you for the post.

    1. Glad you could resonate with the post Farouk!

      Yes indeed, when people connect well with one another, whether it’s within a family or outside with friends, their relationship surely does survive all the hardships. I guess it’s the way we bond with one anther that makes all the difference – isn’t it?

      Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

  20. Hugs my dear!

    Yes Family Bonding Time is important as it keeps the lines of communication and awareness open. Like you, I’m a busy busy working mum and it is easy to take my children for granted and not spend time with my girls; I often feel the pull of wanting to work (especially as I’m self employed) and be present with my daughters. I feel the time is more precious these days, as my youngest daughters (twins, 18) officially finish school this summer and the next phase of their life and my parenting begins. So I am thankful for all the moments we spend together.

    Thanks for the space you create to enable us to reflect and recommit to family values and togetherness and for hearing other readers life stories and experiences. Take care

    1. Glad you could relate to the post Ntathu!

      Yes indeed, spending time with your family is what keeps you bonded and connected with one another, keeping the lines of communication and awareness open, just as you mentioned.

      I can well understand how tough it gets when you are working and managing your kids and family. Something or the other always takes a back seat, and often it’s our kids who are neglected and taken for granted, even though we don’t want that to happen. You would also be making the most of it by spending maximum time with your daughters with limited time left for them to finish school now.

      I am so happy that everyone is able to learn and share things from one another through this blog- that serves the very purpose for which it was started.

      Thanks so much for the warm and kind words, and for stopping by and adding more value to the post. 🙂

  21. It may be hard to find time for family bonding but for the family’s own good, parents need to set a time and schedule their time. Kids are more affected if parents have no time and in most cases the kids are getting affected by bullying or going to bad habits.

    1. Welcome to the blog Becca!

      Things always seem hard and impossible at first, but when you realize it’s importance – you begin to find ways to incorporate them in your life and see the change. Parents do need to chalk out time to spend with their kids and loved ones if they really want to bond and connect with them, or else the kids do tend to stray, get into wrong company, or develop bad habits.

      Thanks for stopping by.:)

  22. Very relevant post in today’s world.

    People are so busy building wealth they forget to enjoy life. I am lucky to have grown up in a joint family where we all spent plenty of time together. In today’s hectic lifestyle, with both parents working, they get so tired that it is hard for them to actually spend time together. Stress is another cause – any spare time they can scrounge up must probably make them want to rest. For some people, spending time together is not even a priority, while some people intend to, but don’t get around to it.

    You’ve offered practical tips to make it happen 🙂 because – while technology may make life better and money may matter, it is relationships that rule.

    Happy Sunday!

    Vidya

    1. Glad you could relate to the post Vidya!

      Absolutely! I think nowadays the focus has shifted to building wealth more than enjoying life, which has it’s effect on the family too as they are the ones neglected most of the time.

      I think our good old times were the best where people were most content and happy with what they has, and their focus was more on their kids and family rather than earning money all the time.

      Yes indeed, with both parents exhausted after work it’s tough to make that much required time for your family, because they are tired and stressed. However, that’s no excuse – isn’t it? After all you earn and work hard for your family, for whom you ought to create time or else your earning for them has no meaning. There are a few people for whom family or spending time together is not the priority, though I really wonder how do they ever connect with their loved ones then! And for those who intend to make the time but can’t manage to, I hope they realize the importance of it before it gets too late.

      Relationships always rule and it’s that strong bond that you create with your loved ones that takes you a long way, rather than spending time earning money, which though is important but it needs to be well balanced out.

      Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful Sunday too! It’s always a pleasure to have you over. 🙂

  23. Hi Harleena,

    Great article and great tips on doing things together! Family is what you have left when everyone else has deserted you. It’s important to treat family well, to connect and bond. I know from our own experience that in these hectic times it’s not easy to find family time together.

    My husband and I both work from home and there’s never “regular work hours.” But even though we work hard (and seemingly all the time) when our kids needed us we were always there…and still are. We never missed a hockey game, or swim meet or soccer game.

    The only thing I (mostly) miss are the dinners we used to have together. But with everyone’s schedule that’s just not possible anymore.

    Thanks for another great and insightful post!

    Ilka

    1. Glad you could resonate with the post Ilka!

      You’re absolultey right in saying that family is what stays with you no matter who else remains with you or deserts you. They are the ones who should matter most to you and for them, you need to create that much needed family bonding time.

      I can well understand about no regular hours, especially when both of you are working from home. Things do get quite hectic because you need to work all the time, and you have to make that deliberate effort to chalk out different time slots for things, which also includes time to spend with your family.

      Nice to know that you manage things so well and there’s time for your kids and family togetherness, which is so important nowadays. But I guess, just as you mentioned, when kids grow up and have their own work schedules, it must be getting tough to have your meals together. However, I guess whenever possible you must be trying your best to spend time together – isn’t it?

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences with everyone. It’s always a pleasure to have you over. 🙂

  24. Hi Harleena,

    I think you hit upon a great point when you talked about work interfering with the family bonding time.

    As you know, owning your own business is a lot more work intensive than working for someone else. I can see how either partner could get overwhelmed with work that they ‘have’ to do as well as work that they ‘want’ to get done.

    A business owner can work 24X7 and still never be ‘finished’. Learning how to take time out is so very important in this respect.

    1. Glad you could resonate with the post David!

      Yes indeed, nowadays because of work and where both partners are working – there’s very little time to bond with your family. And if it’s your own business then the work never ends. But beside the work that each one of us has to do, we have to make time for our families because it’s for them that you work so hard, and I think they deserve a little of your quality time from your busy schedule – isn’t it?

      Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

      1. Yes, that is true enough Harleena. It is nice that you are here to remind us of the things that we find too easy to forget.

  25. Hi Harleena,

    Family bonding is so important and if more parents applied themselves to it the world would be a better place for us all.

    We see all sorts of misbehaviour in the news, in our streets and neighbourhoods and I strongly feel that if those committing these acts had more family time and input from their peers and parents then it wouldn’t happen as often or as badly.

    When i was a child and my so called father ran off with another woman, leaving my mum to raise their 5 children and she became very angry, which meant the whole household was tense. My mum worked 3 jobs a day to pay the bills and feed us, with no contact from my sperm donor and very little financial support from him, she had no option but to work as hard as she could.

    With her working all hours just to make ends meet she was left exhausted at the end of the day and as I said she was very angry, which was often pointed in our direction. We never had any encouragement with our education and were left to our own devices quite a lot.

    Now that I am a father myself I make sure that the things i missed out on I shower my kids with. Not material things but emotional well being, my time, encouragement and showing them they’re loved.

    I have always given my time to my children and encouraged them in everything they do, praising them when they do well and discussing their decision when they’ve been naughty or made the wrong choice. I try not to shout at them and simply ask them why they done whatever it is they’d done.

    I then explain the choices they had and make them open their eyes to alternative ways of dealing with things so as to bring about a better outcome.

    I made many mistakes in my life but I pride myself with my children and how they grown into hard working adults that are responsible for their actions.

    They really are my pride and joy and all of it has come about by having time for, and with, each other. It doesn’t matter what I’m doing if my children need or want to talk to me they come first…… Above everything.

    I spend every Sunday helping my wife and spending time with my children, Love and Pride 😀

    Family bonding is the most important part of family life.

    As I said Harleena if more parents done it the world would be a better place. However I do understand that people need to bring home the wages to pay the bills and in the current climate its that bit harder. But what gets up my nose is people who think it is someone else responsibility to guide their children through life.

    Or worse still those fathers that leave and have children all over the place, never putting anything into the children’s upbringing.

    I’ll step down off of my soap box now Harleena 🙂

    Take care,
    Barry

    1. Glad you could relate so well to the post Barry!

      I totally agree with what you said, and I also wish that more parents would realize this and take action to make the world a much better place.

      Yes indeed, it has been observed all over that where parents aren’t around for their kids, the children take to misbehaving, drugs, and other such related problems.

      It’s sad to hear your story Barry, and you must be so proud of your mother to have raised you single-handedly, which isn’t easy at all. We have a tough time with just two of our kids, even though we are two of us raising them, so I can well imagine what it must have been like for your mom to bring up 5 of you!

      Hats-off to your mom for working 3 jobs to make ends meet, because she had to raise you all up, and that’s a very valid reason for her anger and exhaustion, besides the stress she must be undergoing along with it too. I guess she had no outlet, so after a hard day at work the anger due to the tiredness and the general feeling that she’s to manage everything all alone, would all must be coming out on you kids. Must have been really tough days for all of you.

      It is a fact that all the bad things or hardhsips we undergo in our childhood, we make sure are not repeated with our kids. I guess more than the materliastic things, it’s the emotional bonding with them and the time we spend with them teaching things directly or indirectly that makes them stronger to deal with life – isn’t it?

      I think you are doing a wonderful job of raisiing your kids the way you are, and am sure you must have been more careful because you knew how and what happened when one parent isn’t around. I guess the time you spend with your kids, explain and guide them towards taking the right decisions, and keep encouraging and praisning them for their smallest of efforts – is what makes a lot of difference in building up the personality of your child.

      Nice to know that your kids are your pride and I’m sure would be wonderful adults, which is all because of the values you instilled in them and the time you gave them when they needed your attention. Though of course, parent’s guidance carries on lifelong, it never ends. 🙂

      Yes, people do need to earn, but that’s no reason or excuse to not spend time with your family. Even a few minutes of quality time spend with them, makes a world of a difference to their lives – isn’t it? And yes, they are you responsibilty for which you need to create time to help them become good adults.

      Thanks so much for your wonderful comment that I’m sure is going to help everyone. It’s always a pleasure to have you over. 🙂

  26. Hi Harleena,

    I love your post and your over all concept of family time. You know Harleena, don’t you think when you don’t make family time you run the risk of just plain taking the people you love most for granted? You know most of the time we don’t take friends, strangers or co-workers for granted so why should we do that to our family. You know?

    Great Post.
    Susan Boston

    1. Welcome to the blog Susan!

      Glad you loved the post and concept. Yes indeed, we do tend to take the ones we love for granted when we don’t create the much required family time, because we feel they will always be around and will understand. But they are ones who need most of our attention as compared to others. And if we can devote time for friends and colleagues, then why not for your own family, who matter more. I wish people would understand this and start spending more time with their families – isn’t it?

      Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

  27. Family time is very important. It is something I am not giving to my children and I feel guilty about it. Life is very busy, people spend all their time indoor. Everyone is following his/her own passion. 🙁

    1. Glad you could relate to the post Nikky!

      Yes, family time is very important, and if you aren’t able to create or make out that time for your kids and feel guilty about it, I hope you do so now after reading the post.:)

      Life sure is busy and nowadays no one really has that kind of time to sit and be with one another, because each one is doing things that they want to do. But then it’s your family that suffers the most and sometimes it gets too late by the time you realize this. I guess it’s best if you can somehow manage to take out some time everyday, or make that effort to do so and connect with your family. You are bound to see the difference.

      Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

  28. I agree it’s important to spend family time together. You don’t get to know a friend properly if you don’t spend time with them, let alone your own family. Kids are changing so rapidly as they grow. It’s imperative we keep them close so we actually know and understand who they’re growing into.

    I love your idea of dividing the work. I do this and it gives me time to talk with the kids while they’re helping in the kitchen. My husband just this evening helped me cut up all the stuff I needed for our Friday evening curry night. It was not only helpful, I appreciated the time we spent together in the kitchen. It made the cooking go faster.

    I also recommend creating new experiences together. I’m putting together a post about marriage and one of the points I’ll raise is about the importance of creating new memories so that you continue to forge your ‘things in common’. It gives partners new and exciting things to talk about, rather than bills and nagging each other.

    Great post, Harleena.

    1. Glad you could resonate with the post Anne!

      Yes indeed, spending time with your family is the most important thing and should be priority, though sadly for some people it isn’t. Kids are the ones who need us the most in their formative years, and thereafter also, for which we need to create that kind of time, reschedule our work so that we can devote a little time to them daily too.

      Ahh…I love dividing and delegating the work to the kids too. And I think when they are a little grownup, they like to be given charge of things and feel on top of the world for the small achievements they make. That’s the time we as parents need to encourage them, just for their simple attempts more than anything else – isn’t it?

      Nice to know that your husband also helps around, just like my hubby! I think it makes things go faster, you get to spend some time together, and it’s a lot of fun also. Sometimes my kids and hubby take charge of the kitchen and cook up a meal often on weekends, which gives me a breather:)

      That’s a nice recommendation of doing new things together, which would keep your mind diverted rather than finding reasons to get at each other. Even family activities are great way to keep the family bonded together, as you create new activities and find ways to stay together and have fun too.

      Thanks for stopping by. It’s always a pleasure to have you over. 🙂

  29. Hi Harleena,

    I agree. To me, family bonding time is very important. Both my wife and I work a lot, and our kids are very busy as well. Without the bonding time, our kids would be playing video games all day long or play with their friends. We haven’t planned it, but we try to keep a few hours every night before they go to bed. We play board games, and read books, and try to talk and just be together.

    1. Glad you could resonate with the post Jens!

      I know how well you must be all bonding as a family, as I’ve read so much about it at your blog too, and that’s wonderful. 🙂

      Yes indeed, if kids had their way or if they are left unattended, they would all vouch for T.V.,video games and spend all their time playing with friends, while the elder ones would be glued to their laptops or computer, and of course their cell phones.

      Spending time with your kids doing small things also makes so much of difference to them, and you bond well as a family. Playing games, reading books, or even story time etc., are great ways to connect, which you can do whenever you find the time, and bedtime works best for working parents I think.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences with everyone. It’s always nice to have you over. 🙂

  30. Hi Harleena,

    Family bond is very, very important. I wouldn’t have been able to survive emotionally as a child and a teenager without it. Thankfully, even though my mother was a young widow who never remarried, she worked at home with her own schedule. So, even though she did worked long hours, my brother and I never suffered from that because we could walk up to my mother and ask her anything at any time of the day. I am so thankful that my mother worked at home, because it was really great for us.

    For women (and men) who, unfortunately, have to spend 9-10 hours outside of the home, they really need to spend special time with their family. When it comes to children it can really shape their personality for the rest of their life. Not something anyone should take for granted.

    Thank you for his great article about family bond 🙂

    Thanks, have a great day!

    1. Glad you could relate to the post Sylviane!

      Yes indeed, it’s very important for a family to create a strong bond among it’s members, something that you experienced when you were young. You were lucky to have your mother working from home, which ensured that you both were taken care of and were able to share or talk out things with her – something that is lacking in most families nowadays.

      The trend nowadays is mostly of both parents earning to bring up their families, or sometimes one of the parent operates from home, or work on a part time basis. It becomes important for them to take out the special time to bond with their family, and really give all of themselves when they are with their loved ones – isn’t it?

      Kids are the ones who really suffer if they have both the parents out of the house working, who really cannot manage to take out the required family time or give much attention to their kids even though they want to. And yes, their personalities are the ones that need to be molded right from the time when they are young, for which the presence of parents and spending time as a family is very important.

      Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your views with everyone. 🙂

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