Family life is not like it once was, we now live in a digital world where time is precious and it is often the case that the family unit isn’t spending time together. Imagine the early evening, just after dinner; the kids are chatting on social media while your partner is catching up with the news online, it is easy for a family to spend their time without any interaction.
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Dining out
The best time would be Saturday evening; search online for family dining in Sutherland Shire and make a reservation. Set a rule that all digital devices must be turned off and you can all catch up on what others have been doing this week. You and your partner obviously work hard during the week and Saturday night should be spent dining on your favourite dishes with some house red.
Limiting Internet use
For some families, this is the last line of defence; when a teenager is addicted to online gaming, for example, you need to intervene by setting up permissions on the home Wi-Fi, limiting their web time to one hour per evening. Make sure that you and your partner are leading by example when it comes to digital content viewing; if you turn off your smartphone, you can engage with your kids and find out how their day was.
Family activities
You could choose a hobby or sport and include everyone; take up mountain biking and get healthy at the same time as spending quality time with the family. If you like board games like chess or Monopoly, make it a weekly Friday evening thing, with just the family. Camping is a great way to develop strong family bonds; a couple of weeks in the Outback and your kids will have learned a lot. The ideal situation is to invest in a motorhome and spend all your downtime on the road. Click here for tips on how to build muscle mass.
Family counselling
When tensions are running high, this is usually due to something that can be resolved by talking about it. Lack of communication is the top reason for relationship break-ups and a family counsellor can share a weekly Zoom call and suggest ways to improve relationships within the family unit.
Relationship issues
In the event you and your partner are having issues, marriage counselling is available from the Australian government. If the pandemic caused you to lose a large chunk of income, this can bring stress on a relationship; there is help online and sadly, mental health issues are at an all-time high here in Australia.
Rather than allowing the family to drift apart, be proactive and start doing things as a family and enjoy a meal at your favourite restaurant on Saturdays. Time is precious and when our kids are young, we should treasure this time by doing things together and limit the use of the Internet.
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