In Defense of the Family: Wholesome Recreational Activities

The following post is part of a series of posts, entitled "In Defense of the Family." The purpose of this series is to inform readers of various aspects of the document "The Family: A Proclamation to the World," as well as to encourage readers to consider their own beliefs regarding the purpose of families. Furthermore, I would invite all readers to prayerfully consider the teachings set forth in The Family Proclamation.

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According to the Proclamation, one key to maintaining positive family relationships is to participate together in wholesome recreational activities. In this post, I'm going to give just a few examples of what that might entail.

• Family meals: Families who eat together are able to grow closer. Eating together actually has a number of perhaps unexpected benefits. You could do a quick Google search yourself, or you can just pick your favorite benefit from the following list! Eating together leads to a: decreased likelihood to gain weight, develop eating disorders, and experience depression; and increased self-esteem, grades, and happiness. Plus, it saves money. The family meal doesn't have to be dinner. It could be breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack time, dessert, or some other time that will best fit your family.
• Sports: Okay, I get that not everyone loves sports. Not everyone has to. But team sports or individual sports that everyone can participate in somehow can be a great way to keep family members getting closer together while staying fit.
• Game night: Have every family member pick a quick game or decide on one together, and give it a go!
• Family Olympics: My family has a tradition of doing what we call Family Olympics every New Years Eve. It's similar to the game night I mentioned, but every family member picks two games that we can all participate in. We keep track of points, and the winner at the end gets bragging rights (and maybe a little knick-knack). We also light the proverbial Olympic torch (i.e. a candle) and play the official Olympic theme song. It's been a great family tradition.
• Act: Instead of plopping down and staring at the TV, why not create your own little production? With technology these days, it's super easy to whip out the iPhone and start filming!

These are just a few ideas. You can find way more with a quick Google search, and you can come up with some that are specially tailored to fit your family. But do you see how doing things together brings a family closer?