9 Ways to Strengthen Home and Family
by Tess Frame
In The Family: A Proclamation to the World, we are taught “Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Each family has their own unique culture and methods of expression, but every household could increase the strength of their foundation “upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.” According to the Proclamation, “Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.”
These nine principles are wonderful guidelines by which to assess how we’re doing as a family unit. Read on for ideas to strengthen your family’s foundation in each area. We’ve included some printable journal pages to each section for you to record any ideas of your own. Click here to print them out.
Faith
- Recommit your efforts to Home Church. Praying Saturday evening that your lesson for your family be inspire, and work to prepare a lesson or topic for discussion that is supportable with Church materials or other gospel materials (Come Follow Me, scripture, general conference talks, Living Scriptures videos, etc.). Depending on the ages of your family members, you could incorporate a simple activity to go along with the lesson, such as a family walk, an act of service, a craft, or cooking dinner as a family.
- Allow your family to observe you in moments of faith – while praying, singing a hymn while you do the dishes, etc. Your example not only teaches your family that you are faithful, it shows them how they can be, too.
- If your family has a priesthood holder, schedule an evening to do Father’s Blessings for each member of the family.
Prayer
- There are many opportunities for prayer each day. Morning and evening, three separate meals, and before significant events – not to mention the small moments which a quick prayer of gratitude or pleading might be offered. Make an extra effort to incorporate one more prayer than you currently do.
- Aside from family prayers, praying as a husband and wife can be especially bonding. Together, you can pray for your children and other family members, and ask for blessings that can strengthen your marriage.
- Allow each member of your home to offer prayers. Have everyone take turns (for example, oldest to youngest) so that each family member gets the opportunity to learn worship through prayer.
Repentance
- Repentance is typically an individual effort, but can be a marvelous tool for strengthening your family. In a family prayer, you could offer apology for losing your patience. It shows your children that you have the humility to know when you do something wrong, and that you desire to be better.
- Apologize freely and first, as a parent and as a spouse.
Forgiveness
- Try to never withhold forgiveness from your family. If someone apologizes, accept it and move on without bringing it up again.
Respect
- Use kind language with your family members, as well as when speaking about them to others.
- If you are feeling angry or a loss of respect towards a family member, try listing several of the person’s good qualities, and compliment them.
- Try deliberately thinking positively about your family members. Avoid thoughts which deprecate another person. How you think = how you feel.
Love
- Express affection often and happily. Offer hugs, kisses, and smiles to your family members.
- Strengthen the love between you and your spouse by making an effort to spend quality time together. Schedule date nights, intimacy, and getaways.
- Observe the different ways your family members give and receive love (gifts, acts of service, physical touch, quality time, words of affirmation) and try to express love in the most meaningful way to them. It may not always be the same as yours.
Compassion
- Have the best assumptions in your interactions with your family. If someone is irritable, assume they’re having a tough day instead of snapping back.
- Act with empathy. Try to understand what they’re feeling and respond with gentleness and a helpful intention.
Work
- Be willing to work through your issues instead of using passivity, aggression, or avoidance. Have the hard conversations and work together to find solutions that are healthy and fair.
- Work on your marriage or parent-child relationships by seeking professional help if needed.
- Running a household can be hard work, but is important in maintaining a happy environment! Prioritize your family’s health, happiness, prosperity, and safety. Stay on top of appointments, work assignments, schoolwork, etc.
- Establish a household maintenance system to which everyone contributes according to their capacity. Divide chores, meals, and errands as is appropriate. This helps any one person from being overwhelmed with an unfair workload, and it also teaches the younger family members how to contribute in the home.
Wholesome Recreational Activities
- Have fun with your family! Plan outings like hikes, water parks, museum tours, favorite restaurants, or trips to the beach or lake.
- Try some new at-home activities like a game night, read a book together as a family, plant a garden, paint a room or a piece of furniture, or cook a meal together!
- As parents, make an effort to improve the media that comes into your home. Incorporate wholesome shows and movies, eliminate rude or inappropriate media, or reduce screen time altogether. Consider setting parent locks on home computers, and setting timers for phones, tablets, and other personal screen usage.