Ways to Embrace Your Sense of Family

It’s important to make time for family bonding activities.

Mom, Billy stuck his tongue out at me!” “Sam go finish your homework!” “Do I have to go to school?” “Did you spill ketchup all over your shirt again?”

Mornings and nights are often full of banter like this. It makes us forget about the goodness that families bring to our lives. Sometimes we need a push and shove to get us back to where the true spirit of family begins.

That was just what Sam Wiley, an Indianapolis teacher and school administrator, had in mind when he started National Family Week in 1968. He created it to give people an opportunity to promote a strong sense of family. It’s held appropriately during the same week as Thanksgiving, a holiday which centers around giving thanks and spending time with family.

Here are some ideas to promote your own family bonding:

1. Thank people serving the country. Send letters of support and gratitude to service men and women stationed overseas as well as their families. Thank them for their efforts and offer words of encouragement. Visit www.nationalfamilyweek.org for more information.

2. Hold a game night. Turn off the TV, and don’t answer the phone. Engage everyone in a rousing game of Trivial Pursuit(R), The Game of Life or another game that spans the generations.

3. Get politically active. Write letters to your local representatives about an issue that’s important to your family. Consider supporting family-oriented policies. You can fight about issues like wages, child care, transportation, education, housing, health care or school-readiness, to name a few.

4. Make your office family-friendly. For example, encourage your employer to give the option of flex time to accommodate children’s school schedules.

5. Write a thank-you note to someone who helps your family. Thank the gardener for keeping the landscaping appealing, a clergyman for bringing faith to your day or a police officer for keeping the neighborhood safe.

6. Have each family member write an essay about the importance of family. If you want to take it a step further, send the best essay to state and federal legislators.

7. Promote reading. Read a book with your children. If your children are older, hold a family book club. Choose a book that the whole family will read, and discuss it over a meal.

8. Show some family spirit. Come up with a family cheer, draw a family tree or create a family crest. Or, pose for a professional family portrait.

9. Volunteer as a family. Cook at a homeless shelter, donate old clothing or bring canned goods to a food pantry. You’ll teach kids about the importance of helping the less fortunate.

10. Watch a movie — together. Pick something that the whole family will enjoy, like a Disney cartoon or a classic film like “Annie” or “The Wizard of Oz.”