• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to header navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Display Search Bar
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Facebook Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Twitter Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Pinterest Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Instagram Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on YouTube Follow 5 Minutes For Mom via RSS

5 Minutes for Mom

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Course
      • Breakfast and Brunch
      • Snack
      • Lunch
      • Appetizer
      • Dinner
      • Dessert
    • Ingredient
      • Apple
      • Beef
      • Blueberry
      • Chicken
      • Chocolate
      • Cranberry
      • Peach
      • Pumpkin
      • Squash
      • Strawberry
      • Tomato
      • Vegetables
      • Zucchini
    • Method
      • Air Fryer
      • Baking
      • Grilling
      • Instant Pot
      • No Bake
      • One Dish
      • Slow Cooker
    • Type
      • Breads and Rolls
      • Cakes and Muffins
      • Condiments
      • Cookies and Bars
      • Drinks
      • Food for Kids
      • Gluten-Free
      • Main Dish
      • Pies and Crisps
      • Salads
      • Sandwiches and Wraps
      • Side Dishes
      • Smoothies
      • Soup
  • Crafts & DIY
    • Crafts
    • DIY
    • Kids Crafts
    • Printables
    • Scrapbooking
    • Sewing
  • Family Life
    • Giveaways
    • Lifestyle
    • Marriage
    • Motherhood
    • Parenting
    • Pet Care
    • Special Needs
    • Time Management
    • Travel
  • Holidays
    • New Year’s
    • Valentine’s Day
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Easter
    • Mother’s Day
    • Fourth of July
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas

Positive Family Communication – Summer Vacation

July 3, 2010 by Kelly

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

ShareTweetPinPocketMail

Kelly Curtis - Professional speaker, writer and counselor*** Monthly Feature Column ***

Positively Speaking
Building Assets in your Kids
by Kelly Curtis, M.S., author of Empowering Youth: How to Encourage Young Leaders to Do Great Things.
 
 
 

No family escapes periodic bickering binges, especially during the transition to summer vacation, when siblings who have spent much of their days apart now find themselves in the same house all day long. But with focus, summertime can offer an opportunity to build on positive family communication as well.

Search Institute has identified Positive Family Communication as one of the 40 Developmental Assets. Research shows these are characteristics of healthy, caring, resilient kids. The more assets youth have, the more likely they’ll resist risky behaviors in the future.

We do quite a bit of family travel, and a byproduct of this for us has been siblings with a pretty strong relationship. It isn’t without effort, though, because communication can go downhill pretty quickly on a long roadtrip in tight quarters. Whether or not your family time includes travel, though, some basic tips might help you strengthen the ties that bind your kids this summer.

Set firm guidelines
– I expect that our kids use respect even when they argue, and I enforce that expectation. I understand they won’t always see eye to eye, but they know I want them to work things out in a way that they can still have a relationship.

Include kids in the family decisions – Whether they are fun or serious decisions, kids who are included in family discussions about issues and choices are more likely to engage in the family’s activities and decisions.

Carve out exclusive family time – We move to the cabin in the summer, which makes this pretty easy. The logistical difficulty of seeing peers every day forces the members of our family to know each other very well. But no matter where you live, there can be special times set aside for kids and parents to be fully engaged with each other – whether it’s dinnertime, Sunday worship, days at the park or game nights.

Arrange for time apart – Just like time together is important, so is time apart. Whether this time includes regular playdates with a friend, hanging out at the park with peers, or curling up with a good book, kids need to have time to be something other than a sibling, son, or daughter. Extended opportunities for this (a weekend away or Canada fishing trip with Dad) will often rejuvenate tired relationships upon return.

Limit electronics
– Since the advent of all-things electronic, it seems our society as a whole has disconnected in some ways, while connecting in others. It can help us as parents to connect with our kids by friending them on Facebook, and playing Wii together may quell sibling squabbling for a bit, but limiting use of Playstation, Ipods, instant messaging, Facebook and texting is absolutely essential.

Explain your goal – I’m very upfront with my kids about how important it is to me that we all have strong relationships with each other, so when I outline my expectations or invite a discussion about these points, I explain my goal in doing so. Kids want strong relationships too – they just don’t always know how to go about having them.

What is your recipe for strong and positive family communication?

Thanks for joining in to build assets in your kids! I look forward to seeing you again next month for Positively Speaking.

Kelly Curtis is a Wisconsin school counselor and author of Empowering Youth: How to Encourage Young Leaders to Do Great Things. To read more about Kelly, please visit her Weblog, Pass the Torch or follow her on Twitter.

ShareTweetPinPocketMail
Holiday Weekend!!!
Around The Blogosphere – Add YOUR Giveaway Link

About Kelly

Reader Interactions


Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

4 Comments

  1. Amanda Daybyday says

    July 4, 2010 at 9:20 am

    This is a great list! My boys have been bickering so much and I agree with all these points. Especially the being open one. My parents were always open with us too in their expectations of us. Good relationships were a priority. And while I’m not super close to all my siblings, we don’t fight. And my sister is my best friend.

    Now… to get my boys to get along…

    Reply
  2. Susan says

    July 3, 2010 at 8:06 pm

    Wow! Informative post. Thanks for sharing valuable travel information. Definitely it will help people to plan a pleasant trip.

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Bringing Moms Together

We are Janice and Susan, twin bloggers and work-at-home moms. We're here to inspire, encourage & empower you.

Meet Us…

Work With Us…

Subscribe via Email

to be first to read new posts

Trending Now

Raspberry Coulis – How To Make Raspberry Sauce

Raspberry Coulis – How To Make Raspberry Sauce

Among Us Costumes – How To Make Pretty DIY Among Us Cosplay Outfits

Among Us Costumes – How To Make Pretty DIY Among Us Cosplay Outfits

Oven Roasted Potatoes and Peppers Recipe

Oven Roasted Potatoes and Peppers Recipe

Instant Pot Apple Crisp that is Ready in Minutes!

Instant Pot Apple Crisp that is Ready in Minutes!

browse around

  • Posts by Susan
  • Posts by Janice
  • Favorite Recipes
  • Favorite Crafts
  • Giveaways
  • All Posts

Footer

Recipes

Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe and History

Traditional Irish Soda Bread Recipe and History

25 Awesome Rainbow and Green St. Patrick’s Day Treats

25 Awesome Rainbow and Green St. Patrick’s Day Treats

Easy Valentine Sugar Cookies

Easy Valentine Sugar Cookies

Crafts/DIY

Easter Egg Painting – How to Paint Easter Eggs with Acrylic Paint

Easter Egg Painting – How to Paint Easter Eggs with Acrylic Paint

DIY Flower Press – How To Press Flowers

DIY Flower Press – How To Press Flowers

Valentine’s Day Crafts For Kids – Super Cute and Easy Valentine Craft Ideas

Valentine’s Day Crafts For Kids – Super Cute and Easy Valentine Craft Ideas

Giveaways

Valentine’s Day Gifts For Mom

Valentine’s Day Gifts For Mom

School Supplies List and Back to School Shopping Guide

School Supplies List and Back to School Shopping Guide

REDEEMING LOVE Set to Strike Gold on the Big Screen #RedeemingLoveMovie

REDEEMING LOVE Set to Strike Gold on the Big Screen #RedeemingLoveMovie

Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Facebook Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Twitter Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Pinterest Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on Instagram Follow 5 Minutes For Mom on YouTube Follow 5 Minutes For Mom via RSS
  • About
  • Contact
  • Work with Us
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2023 5 Minutes for MomTheme by Melissa Rose Design and Once Coupled