How to have fun
In modern times
with all the entertainment opportunities and as the modern living intensifies,
less time is spent with the family. No wonder that families are no longer
have quality time together nor do they have time for communication. Even
communication is breaking up. Mom is at a book club or other clubs, Dad is
working late and the children are visiting friends. The end result is that
families are actually breaking up.
The irony is
that families are the last outposts of unity where we must actually support each
other and try to alleviate the different levels of stress each family members
may have. Even the small school going children have their stress. Families
should re-invent quality time together. There are many ways to do it and one
interesting activity is to have at least once a week a home movie night. The
focus is to be at home with either a pre-determined movie on one of the
television channels or a movie rental from one of the video or DVD stores.
The secret of the
fun lies there in that this should be a family decision and once decided on it
no one should pull out of it. Set a movie start time and stick to it. Turn all
cell phones off and order some take-outs or all family members can join
together to make an informal movie dinner.
If there are still
small children in the house you could make it more interesting for them. Ask
them to make tickets and sell them from a self-made “box office”. They can even
usher parents and older siblings to their seats with a small flashlight as in
the old days.
A darkened room and
plenty of comfy seats are a must. Beanbag chairs and large pillows on the
floor are great movie chairs. Do not forget the popcorn. The microwave variety
is fine, even better is stove-popped corn in a variety of flavors. Soft drinks
are also a good idea. Give family members a chance to take a loo break or hit
the fridge.
Remember, you as
parents are responsible to keep the family together and once you embark on this
movie night venture, please keep it together – do not allow anybody, the boss,
the book club members, etc. sabotage this bonding evenings.
This would be the
ideal opportunity to show the kids you are prepared to make sacrifices to
ensure that you could spend quality time together.
HendrikDB
