Before you can achieve a happy family life, you have to learn to deal with the fact that your family isn’t perfect. In fact; there’s no such thing as a perfect family. You may spend hours pouring over your friends’ Facebook profiles wondering how they manage to look so fabulous after having three kids, or how the neighbor’s children are always so quiet and well-behaved, while yours are running around outside with their shoelaces untied.
But get this – they’re exactly like you. To start with, no one posts photos on Facebook of unhappy moments in their lives (well, no one socially adjusted) and secondly, even the most organized or in-control of us loses it from time to time. Comparing your life to someone else’s is not a useful exercise, as you project what you think they have onto them, rather than what they really do. It’s also quite easy to look good on the outside; we don’t see people’s inner struggles and can’t know for sure that they’re happy.
And even if they are. That isn’t something that should make you feel bad, or guilty about the shortcomings you think your family has. Accept that life doesn’t come without its problems, and that everyone has them; even the picture-perfect Facebook family. Also, what’s happy for one family may be a living nightmare for another; like a camping trip or piano recital.
Learn to love your brood for all their imperfections. Try to spend as much quality time with them as possible and really listen when your children tell you about their days; or when your husband’s football team wins the playoffs. Try to ban the television or smartphones from time to time and, instead of watching a movie where you don’t communicate; try table games, practicing a mutual hobby, or organizing an event.
A happy family is a united family and, with that in mind, have you thought about getting your relatives together from near and far? Or perhaps reuniting ones that have been displaced by time or distance? Why not open up a family reunion website that you can collaborate on with your kids? That way, not only will you have a project that you spend time on together, but you’ll be working to bring the larger family closer.
By adding photos, allocating tasks, and using the organizational features of a website that all your family members have access to, you’ll have a fun way of organizing an event by collaboration. Think about what family reunion games you’d like to play and what kind of environment would make everyone truly happy.
Remember, it’s not about spending money on luxurious venues or arranging fancy catering; the real beauty in using family websites is in keeping people connected, sharing burdens, and moving through life with the support of you kin.
GUEST BLOGGER
Michael Peggs is the founder of content marketing agency and SEO agency Marccx Media, where they specialize in SEO and Content Marketing. Before Marcxx, Peggs worked at Google in business development, forming digital media and advertising partnerships. He is also a blogger and podcaster, hosting the iTunes Top 10 New & Noteworthy podcast You University – The Personal Branding Podcast.