Enjoy National Family Month

Did you know that it’s National Family Month?
If you didn’t know before, then you do now. And if you did know before, then we hope you’re already enjoying more time together as a family.

The time between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day is designated as National Family Month. And we think it’s a perfect time to celebrate families. Not only is it perfect because it’s sandwiched between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, but because for most families it’s also the time that kids finish up the school year and start their summer break. And this lends itself perfectly to spending more time together as a family.

We know for our family that our time together increases when the kids hit their summer break. Not only do we try to get in some family vacations, but we also fit in more time each day. For starters, bedtime hours are extended. You know the directive we’re talking about, “Time for bed – it’s a school night.” Well, when summer rolls around, that statement goes out the window and we get to play longer every day.

So do we just sit around and play family board games? Nope. In fact, since school let out last week, we have yet to sit down together and play a board game or card game. Now, that’s not to say that there wasn’t some game play going on. The kids frequently pull out games to play with friends and each other, but that’s typically during the day rather than in the evenings with all of us together. But having said that, we do anticipate that we’ll get a lot of family game time together as well.

We hope that during National Family Month, and during the summer in general, you find ways to spend more time with your family too. Just get out and do things together. And we’d highly recommend that it be away from “screen time” (that’s what we call anything that has you just sitting in front of a screen – TV, computer, etc.) and be more “face time” – where you interact with one another. That’s where you build the family bonds that last.

Rather than make a long list of ideas for spending more time together with your family, we’d suggest you sit down and just make your own list. And by all means, don’t think of just big, elaborate activities that cost a bunch of money. You can start by something as simple as increasing the number of times you sit down for a meal together (if that’s not already a habit). Or go to your local library and get some books to read together.

Of course, don’t forget to throw some family board game time on your list too. And enjoy the beautiful summer weather while you’re at it. Grab a board game or card game off the shelf and take it outside with you. That way you get to enjoy the great world around you while being with the ones you love most.

Have a great family month!