As a Muslim, one of the most important things for a family would be praying together every day. A Muslim has ritual prayers five times a day. Children as young as four and five stand on the prayer mat and understand without being told that prayer time is a time of introspection and a time for things to quiet down. Similarly, the Jews pray twice a day, if not more. And Hindus and devotees of Krishna also attend with their families in the temple. It is important to instill God in children’s lives and teach them to respect prayer from an early age. A Muslim believes that a family who prays together stays together.
A second effective family rule is to do interesting things together as a family, such as having weekly or monthly outings to a zoo or a park where they can have a picnic and watch the children play. Young children especially can run about and drain all that pent-up energy. They can fly a kite and mom and dad can help with the kite making. Flying a kite is also good exercise as you build up strength in your arms if it is one of those big kites and you are moving around.
Eating together as a family is another good way to keep the family intact. Children who sit at the table and share in conversation are more likely to listen to their parents and less likely to get involved with a bad crowd and get involved in drugs and petty crime. The table is also a good place to discuss family matters. The preparation of the meal and the setting of the table may also involve children and make it fun for them.
Have a movie night once a week where the child gets to pick the movie and the family has popcorn together where after the film has ended you can express your opinions about the film. This makes for a close knit family and contented children. The family is seen as a unit. They can come up with ideas for fun things to do.
Seeing the children off to bed can be another opportunity for a parent and child to bond. If it is a toddler, you might want to read a story and settle the child down. You can have quiet and alone time with each one of your children and reassure them of whatever fears they might have. It might take a little time to do all this after a hard day’s work, but it will make for a contented child and a contented family.
