5 Things Every Family Meeting Needs

I wouldn’t say last week was one of my better ones.

My throat is scratchy from all the nagging and raising my voice (otherwise known as yelling) in frustration with my family. Every last one of them has been driving me nuts. Maybe you can relate? We are on each other more than normal and I’m going to own that it’s my negative energy leading the charge. It’s no way I want to live.

So, I called a Family Meeting.

It’s time to regroup as a family unit because when Momma isn’t happy, ain’t nobody going to be happy. A Family Meeting is a great way to stop and talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly and comes up with a plan to get back on track.

Does your family have regular meetings?

Growing up, I used to have to leave my best friend’s house when it was time for their weekly family meeting. I thought it was strange but at the same time, I wondered why my family didn’t take the time to connect like that.

The goals of a Family Meeting are to help you communicate better, bring everyone closer together, and to have some fun. The support and understanding that come from these gatherings create more love and harmony, according to this article on Psychology Today.

5 things a Family Meeting needs to include

1. FUN

Start your meeting off in a fun way to lighten the mood.

I played music and made everyone dance before we started. The kids wanted no part of that, but they are used to our silly antics, so they played along. They enjoy making fun of the old people and their uncool dance moves anyway.

The Family Meeting is about communication, which will lead to better connections between family members, and it’s much easier to communicate when you’re in a good mood.

2. DESSERT

I’ve found doing a family meeting an hour after dinner over dessert works best for us. I was debating what sweet treat we would have when the kids asked if they could bring their Halloween candy to the table to share. It was a perfect plan.

3. COMMUNICATION

I started the meeting off by talking about why I called the family meeting.

I go crazy when I walk in the door and see boys still in their stinky hockey workout clothes, sitting on the couch watching yet another game of football, when I know there are school projects and homework to finish. It sets me off every time.

We need to come together as a family unit and voice when something isn’t working in order to come up with a game plan for change.

Knowing we were going to meet made me take the time to sit and think about why exactly I’ve been feeling so frustrated. I realized that it simply came down to time management and entitlement issues.

I drew up a time management sheet for this upcoming week so the kids could fill in their sports and activities on the weekdays from 3-9 pm. Then we could see what time is left to work on school projects and homework, as well as tv-gaming downtime.

WHY YOU SHOULD MAKE FAMILY MEETINGS A HABIT IN YOUR HOME

4. PLANNING

Talk about what’s on the family agenda for the upcoming week.

With a busy family, it’s a great idea to go over the calendar and make sure everyone is on the same page. The kids are going to miss school on Friday, so it was a good way to talk about how they need to talk to their teachers and get all work turned in on Thursday.

We went over cell phone usage and the breakdown of where everyone is at with data usage. We haven’t been close to going over, but it was interesting to see that daughter dear is carrying 60% of our data.

5. GRATITUDE

Focus on the positive by ending the meeting with a thought-provoking question. What was the best thing that happened in your past week? What’s something your family did for you this week that helped you out?

A family meeting may seem silly but it is a great way to talk about any topic that needs to be addressed.

Take advantage of having everyone together in one place and TALK! Laugh or cry if you need to. Create authenticity and honest relationship between one another. We can respect all of our family members if we understand where they are coming from.

Holding weekly family meetings is one of the most effective and bonding things families can do to create greater harmony and connection with those they love.

Does your family hold regular family meetings or do you want to start?