How to Have a Healthy, Happy Family

Healthy, happy families begin with a commitment to strengthen and build the foundation of each relationship. If you are single parents, make sure there are positive role models in your child’s life. As young parents who are raising infants or toddlers, work on building the child’s self-esteem and independence. Each person in the family can bring something positive to the table.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Affirm your partner. If you are married, you can build your partner’s self-esteem by recognizing any weaknesses or strengths. Let your spouse know how much they are needed and always welcome their input. Compliment them at least once a week or more to inspire them to be all they can be.
2. Expose your children to positive resources. Within your community is a wealth of history and information. Arrange to take your children to local museums, plays, gyms, concerts and other cultural events. By going to inspiring places, you increase your child’s social perspective and their personal knowledge of life.
3. Create healthy habits. Healthy eating habits insure healthy minds and bodies, so it is important to provide nutritional meals to your family on a daily basis. Drink 8 glasses of water each day to keep your external system running smoothly. Exercise frequently to maintain a healthy body weight and sustain a high level of energy.
4. Keep communication flowing. If there is a problem that needs to be addressed, keep the lines of communication open. Allow your children and spouse to talk to you openly about issues they may feel hesitant to discuss. Be an open vessel to your family, willing to listen first, and then respond with an understanding attitude.
5. Pamper yourself! Take the time to pamper yourself, even if you can not afford to go anywhere. Hire a baby-sitter, spend quiet time alone to reflect on life, read a book, do a puzzle, or spend a day at the park. Create ways to relax and enjoy life.

Tips & Warnings

• Listening is a big plus! Young people can relate more to a listener, than they can to a talker.
• Encouragement should be active at all times.
• Remember that women and men process communication and other things differently. Women are more verbal and emotional. Men tend to be more silent and less combative on issues.
• Never let a problem grow for long periods, without being unsolved. This tends to let bitterness arise and keeps everyone on edge.
• Lower the volume on noise and anger. Children can not learn in an atmosphere of noise and distraction. Anger is another thing that must be controlled and dealt with, immediately, or communication lines can be damaged.