"The home is the great laboratory of love. There the raw chemicals of selfishness and greed are melded in the crucible of cooperation to yield compassionate concern and love one for another." -Elder Russell M. Nelson
Lately I've been thinking a lot about how I can help our family become a stronger unit grounded in love and service toward each other. An idea that keeps coming back to me over and over is one I got from a wonderful book called, "The Potentially Sane Mother's Guide to Raising Young Children," by Tamara A. Fackrell. I've had it for years and have used a lot of the activities and great advice it gives. In the first chapter she talks about having a family team, and just like any team for it to be effective it has to be working toward the same goals. Here are some of the goals she mentions and I plan on implementing in our family team:
1. Find satisfaction in work, love, learning, growth, and being together forever.
2. Being a part of a family team is about helping one another and sticking together.
3. When something happens in the family that makes someone want to have a tantrum or complain we discuss it instead.
4. As parents we try to help the children talk about their problems and develop a positive resolution.
5. Let children choose their consequences.
6. Don't demand, compromise.
7. Brainstorm ideas together as a family, write a list of recent problems, and talk about resolutions.
8. Follow through with commitments.
9. Use rewards and incentives over punishments to encourage good behavior.
Not every situation is going to fall nice and neatly into these goals, but the more we try to implement them the stronger the family unit is going to be. If our thoughts are on the goal the easier it will be and the more peaceful our days will become. It's important to check back on how everything is going in the family at family counsel which we hold every third Sunday of the month, at Family Home Evenings once a week, and at family scripture study and prayer every day. This will help keep our focus on the goals. Having some activities to emphasise the importance of the goals is also great. Tamara Fackrell's book has some great ones.
http://deseretbook.com/Potentially-Sane-Mothers-Guide-Raising-Young-Children-Tamara-Fackrell/i/4772963