About 9 years ago, my husband and I heard the phrase, Family Night, for the first time. It sounded like a fun idea, and as we learned more about how to apply this concept into our own family; a new tradition was born.
Our Family Night has changed over the years as our children have grown. However, the one thing that has remained constant throughout the changing seasons of childhood is that this one night, our Family Night, has been guarded and protected from any other activities or invitations that have come our way; unless the whole family agrees to participate. There have been times when we have had to miss sporting events or have had to say no to other fun invitations, but at the end of the day, we have never regretted choosing our Family Night over those other things.
We have seen and felt the amazing benefits of having a Family Night; its impact on our family has been priceless. Here are just a few of the benefits we have personally experienced: the relationship we have with our children has flourished in the way we connect and respond to each other, our children love spending time with us, and we love spending time with them, and finally, there is just an overall sense of belonging and camaraderie.
Our Family Night is once a week, but maybe you are not able to start a weekly Family Night right now; what about taking a baby step and trying once a month? Take those baby steps until you are able to establish your Family Night more often.
You might be asking, how do we get started? What do we do on Family Night? Well, first things first; pull out your calendar and pick a date! That is your first step. Secondly, think about what activities your family enjoys doing together. Our family has tried many different concepts throughout the years: ranging from each family member choosing a family activity to participate in, to celebrating one family member and making the night all about them, to one family member choosing what we will eat for dinner, and everything in between.
The article below will help generate some great ideas to get you started on planning your own Family Night! There are no rules to follow and there is not a specific formula; just set the date, be creative, have fun and celebrate the gift of family! We’d love to hear what fun ideas you come up with for your Family Night, so please post comments below.
Click here for family night ideas.
For El Paso,
Jennie Lynne