Do you want to help keep your family together and bonded? Being an active and positive member of your family takes a little effort. By making time for your family members and working on your relationships, you can help improve the atmosphere for everyone.
Steps
1Communicate. It can help a lot! Don’t be afraid to talk about all things, small and big, with your siblings and your parents. Talk about school, an interesting book you read, something that will capture their attention. Ask them how they are, and learn about their interests. Some well-guided communication can help you all feel a lot closer.Keep in mind that picking the right time is important, too. If you parent is stressed or overwhelmed, it’s probably not a good time to ask about their favorite book. Pick a time when you guys are just relaxing at home, or having dinner together, or in the car going somewhere together.
2Get on better terms with your siblings. Your relationship with your siblings is likely to be the longest in your life, even longer than the one you have with your parents or your future partners. Try to get and stay on good terms with them.If they are older siblings, don’t nag at them constantly; try not to annoy them, and just talk to them. You can ask them for help once in a while to let them know that they mean something to you. Ask them for advice to show you respect their opinions. Give them a chance to notice and start respecting you.For younger siblings, help them when they ask for it, answer the questions they ask, and give them advice about growing up. Be patient and be nice.Advertisement
3Remember that pets are family as well. Play with them, make sure they’re fed, keep them clean and love them. Pets take everything in and most likely will return the kindness. Never abuse them or treat them with less respect. This will help you in relaxing and getting a better perspective of your own troubles.
4Set aside time for family. Sometimes you might want to hang out with your friends, but sometimes you just want to sit down and have a nice time with your family. Try to make time for both of these, and be clear about the boundaries between them.Younger siblings may be particularly interested in playing with you and your friends. Sometimes, this is great, but there may also be times when you would like to play/ hang out with your friend alone. Communicate that to your sibling politely, setting a boundary clearly, especially for younger kids. Tell them something like, “We want to play this level alone but when we’re done, we’ll come get you and we can all play basketball outside.” Try to compromise about your time together and apart, and get your parents involved if necessary.
5Reach compromises. You will need to work out any problems that happen; you will face some disagreements in any family, and it’s easy to get caught up in arguments. Be willing to talk about these issues. Apologize if you make mistakes.Discuss with a family member if something he did hurt or confused you in any way. They most likely apologize. You must learn to forgive and forget. With a simple explanation of what happened, or maybe an “I’m sorry,” you can both move on and let bygones be bygones.
6Talk to a trusted friend about your family problems. In most cases talking to a friend or someone you trust can lift a heavy load off your chest, making room for fun and joy in your life. Of course if the issue is bad or even unacceptable, you should seek help to therapists or counsellor.Advertisement
