Family Togetherness.

When was the last time your whole family got together? Is it important
to you to always be together with your family members?

The following are the excerpts taken from The Star dated 15 July 2004
at Star Two on page 23.

"Today's parents spend 40% less time with their children than their
parents did in the past. As a result, our children are picking up
values from foreign domestic helpers, the television and the Internet.
Without proper guidance from parents or involved adults, many of these
children may suffer emotional problems when they grow up."

"A recent study conducted by the University of Southern California,
found that happiness is not about getting richer. It is about spending
quality time with loved ones, and enjoying good health"

"Some parents treat their friends with more respect and kindness than
they do their children."

"Babies develop a strong attachment with their parents in the first
three years."

Fun activities that help build a strong family: -
1) Plan special meals.
Children are the ones who are happiest when families get together for
festive celebrations, anniversaries and reunions. Parents can also
create special lunches or dinners once a week in which the whole
family can join in to make it a fun and meaningful occasion.

2) Organize a treasure hunt
Gather your family together and make a list of things that you will
try to find in your own treasure hunt. It can be as simple as
searching for simple items in the garden.

3) Keep a family journal.
The family journal can be in the form of photos, videos or even a book
for jottings. These can help keep those warm memories alive. Do a
project where the whole family can have fun making family videos or
writing stories about each other. I can see the smiles on everybody's
face years down the road when the videos are played back.

4) Volunteer your services.
Encourage your child to develop a penchant for helping others.
Volunteer works strengthens the family unit. Helpfulness learned as a
child will last a lifetime. Volunteer work is a good way to forge a
sense of closeness that comes with doing good deeds together.

5) Join in family games.
Outdoor games help children not just to develop strong bodies but
build stronger and deeper relationships. Traditional games such as
gasing, catuk ayam, congkak, batu lima, teng-teng, etch have been
replaced by digital and electronic games which hardly promote
cooperation and sharing. Teach the traditional games and let your
children pass them down to the next generation.

6) Trace your family tree.
Start a family tree research project to discover stories about
relatives and friends. Your children can learn about the family
history through this, and pick up important lessons about life from
the stories of family members who have overcome the odds. This is a
great way to teach family values to children of all ages.

7) Spend time chatting.
Spend at least 10 to 15 minutes a day just chatting with your child.
Children tend to open up when they are relaxing with their parents.
They would share their problems and their achievements of the day
during these special moments. Make sure you give your attention to
them and to what they say but be slow to comments or make any
condemnations.

8) Read to your child.
Make is a daily affair to read aloud to your child not matter how old
she is. Stories you enjoyed as a kid can also thrill your child. Start
a storybook collection.

9) Get connected.
Families need a place to connect with one another. Find places in your
home or in your neighbourhood where your family can feel safe and
connected. The parents' bed is normally the safe haven for the
children, where they would go there to cuddle up or share about what
happened to them during their day. Look around for these special
places where you can connect with your child.

10) Get energized.
Physical exercise help to overcome fatigue and stress after a hard day
at work. Exercise can also help to bond the family together. Parents
and children can take a few moments daily to stretch and jump around
together. Healthy bodies build healthy minds.

* Wow, these are very good tips. I think I'll start doing some of
these activities.

--
David Bong