This Week’s Smart Reads

Awareness Home Productivity Wellness Growth Family 📚 Book Recommendation

The Family Meeting

🗂 At first I was afraid (sing it with me!)

“At first, the idea of family meetings can be intimidating to children, especially teens. One reason is because children don’t know what to expect. They are likely unfamiliar with ways families meet more formally to plan, organize, problem-solve, and make decisions.”

Read Family Meetings Can Be Fun, Productive, and Meaningful by Marilyn Price-Mitchell, PhD

🏡 Our words have power.

“But our words only account for 7% of the overall message that is communicated, which means that 38% of what we communicate is done through our tone, and 55% is done through our body language.”

Read 10 Positive family communication rules for your home by Lori Radun

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 What are your family values?

“Whether they’re explicitly stated or not, every family has its own set of beliefs and ideals. Those who make an effort to define and live out the family values they want to shape their home’s culture are investing in their family’s happiness and their kids’ future.”

Read 8 Family Values All Parents Should Incorporate, According to Child Development Experts by Ashley Abramson

🎗 What are the roles of your family members? They may be different from when you were a kid!

“Throughout the years, family roles have changed drastically. What was once deemed the norm, in terms of family roles, is no longer what’s considered typical today.”

Read Common Family Roles and How They’ve Changed by Gabrielle Applebury

🥗 Add family wellness to your weekly meeting agenda!

“This guide shows you 12 ways to improve family wellness this year. Create new routines that help you and your family to live a healthy, more fulfilled lifestyle.”

Read 12 Steps to Improve Family Wellness in 2020 and Beyond by Alicia@wholefamilyliving.com

🧗🏽‍♀️ Don’t just add one more thing to your to-do list. Make your family meeting meaningful.

“Despite good intentions, it’s the daily routines and inevitable detours to our routine that can undermine our best efforts. Attention is devoted to “putting out fires” rather than bonding and deepening the connections we desire most.”

Read 4 Steps to a Successful Family Meeting by Rebecca Louick