Every few weeks or so my husband and I gather the kids around the table for a good old-fashioned board game. Most of the time we land up playing Settlers. We've been playing it for about three years now and it's definitely become a family favorite. Nathaniel's only 11, and Graham is 13 so when we first started playing we'd team up the younger kids with an adult. They get to roll the dice, pick the cards, ask for trades, high five their partner, and eat the chips. Yum. I really didn't think they'd like it since it was a bit over their heads, but they absolutely love the game. Who knew?
This year we've also started playing Trivial Pursuit. The only problem with this game however is that any kid who's teamed up with "mom" knows they're automatically on the losing team. How could I possibly guess what body parts include the malleus, incus, and stapes? Or what liquid can blow up buildings and ease the pain of angina? Seriously? Ask me about facebook, cooking, or giving birth, then the game will be on!
I will say however, that the last time we played we either got lucky, or God decided to tip the scales in our favor. Madison and I were scoring questions like, "What diet plan's spokespeople have included Kirstie Alley, Valerie Bertinelli, and Phylicia Rashad?" And, "If the days of the week are in alphabetical order, which comes last?" And, "On the television show Different Strokes, who is Arnold's brother?" For once we had answers, and a good reason to high five.
What I really like about board games is not so much what we're playing, it's the fact that we're playing together. The six of us are gathered around the dining room table facing each other; electronics are tuned out and we're tuned in to family. The entire time we're playing we're laughing and enjoying each other's company, which is definitely a different dynamic than it would be if we were gathered around the TV.
This past year I've made "us" time a priority by planning more things that promote conversation.
Road trips are perfect for that. I didn't really feel like heading out of town this past weekend, but we did because Michael and I decided that a road trip would be a good way to break away from the every day and spend time together. Sitting in a car might sound like an odd way to promote "us" time, but there's something about it that gets conversation going and keeps us focused on each other.
Whether you have children or it's just you and your husband, it's important for all of us to enjoy moments that bond us together. Life tends to get busy. There are times when we get caught up in our own thing that we forget to slow down and enjoy the people we love.
But all it takes really, is conscious effort and a dining room table to turn things around. Sound easy enough?
Now I'd love to hear from you... what are some of the ways that you promote "us" time with your family?
You are loved by an almighty God,
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This is wonderful! My husband and I live playing game with out 3 children. Our 2 boys are older now, 10 & 11 but we also have a 5 year old daughter. We know the boys won't want to play Candyland all the time, so we make it work by teaming their sister up with one of the us and it works out great. A couple of our favorites are Yahtzee and Life.
ReplyDeleteWe do not have cable, but we do love watching TV together. We've been watching the first season of The Amazing Race on Hulu. Not only is it fun, but it has given us a forum to discuss with them topics like ethics and how the contestants are treating one another.
When my children were growing up (they are 23 and 25 now) "Family Fun Day/Night" was required to be on our calendar no more four weeks apart and we aimed for every week. This was a mandatory participation event. Our rules were simple anything wholesome where we could talk, laugh and interact (no screen time); while we did have "movie nights" (which could be the theater but more often was a video) these events did not qualify as "Family Fun Day/Night". Activities included front yard soccer, card games (Golf and Phase Ten were our favorites), board games (Scattagories was one of our fav), trips to parks or wildlife refuges, silly string wars, nerf wars, reading stories out loud, local low admission fee museums trips, etc. These memories are treasures. I don't know if it was because of these activities but our close knit friendly family is better for them.
ReplyDeleteWe alternate Game Night and Movie Night on Fridays after supper. I make popcorn some weeks to go along with the festivities, and it's nice to just spend some time together having fun. We actually spend a lot of our time together - I homeschool our daughter, Husband works four 10-hour shifts so he's home more, and our life is pretty family oriented. :)
ReplyDeleteDarlene,
ReplyDeleteYou know what I love about you? I am so glad you introduced me to some of these bloggers. :-) I like who you hang out with. Thanks for being a Godly influence in my life.
In His Grip,
Monica
http://happyandblessedhome.com
I love playing games with my kids! We used to have a regular family night when they were younger, until they both got jobs and it became harder to make it a regular night.
ReplyDeleteWhen the oldest moved away to college we would find a night to play some games when he would come home on vacation.
When the kids were little I wanted to continue to build their relationship, as the oldest was starting to pull away from the youngest in terms of play and other activities.
So I scheduled 30 minutes every day that they had to play together. It had to be playing a game or something that forced them to cooperate or play together (because t.v. shows wouldn't really force them to interact much).
So they played lots of board games. I had them take turns selecting the games. My oldest hated the fact that his younger brother always gravitated toward "Candy Land."
I reminded him of all the time his dad and I had spent playing Candy Land with HIM, lol! Many days, they were having so much fun they went way beyond the required 30 minutes.
Anyway, they are the best of friends now so I think it paid off! ;)
We play board games, too, but we watch a game show every day. We have a DVR, so we tape Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. We watch one together as a family before Daddy leaves for work in the morning. :) If we can't do it in the morning, we watch it together in the evening after dinner.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter received one for her birthday from my mom. Now I know I really would love to have one of these. I am home schooling 5 of my 6 kiddos. my 6th one will be 2 in May :) My son who is 18 months younger then my daughter wants one now that his sister has one..
ReplyDeleteWhat is Settlers??
ReplyDeleteIt's a game about settling properties, getting resources from the properties like wheat, sheep, ore, brick and wood. You cash them in to settle more properties and build roads. It's an awesome game!! Here's a photo of the box:
Deletehttp://www.starlitcitadel.com/games/media//Settlers_of_Catan.jpg
We're big Settlers of Catan fans, too! Two of our kids are in dental school and play it with their friends there as a way to unwind after major exams!
ReplyDeleteBoard games for kids are the best entertainment to help families promote the “us” time. Thank you for this inspiring post.
ReplyDelete