Give Them Opportunities To Perform For You

For my birthday this year, Megan asked me what I wanted. I said all I wanted was for my children to put on a play. They did. They created it, everyone had a part, they performed it, and I recorded the whole thing on video. What a Birthday gift! What a memory!

Kids love to perform for their parents. What parent hasn't heard this before, "Look at me! Look at me!"?

The next time they do that, make a big deal about it. Go overboard with praise. But also give them a bit of encouragement to perform for you. Do they enjoy magic tricks? Tell them you'd like to see some magic tricks. Maybe encourage them to put on a magic show. Do they like to dance? Have a dance evening. And then make sure you're on the front row, ready to video the whole thing and brag about it to your friends.

Learn To Laugh

Learn to laugh with your children.

Every kid wants a family who knows how to laugh.

Joy brings strength.

Here are some tips:

If they tell a joke or do something intentionally funny, then be the first to laugh. They need to know that you enjoy them.

Tell them jokes yourself. Sometimes after dinner or breakfast, while we're still sitting at the table, I’ll tell the kids a joke or two – knock knock jokes, corny jokes, anything I can think of. Often they want me to repeat their favorites. I get most of them from the Internet. I'll google a joke site, then memorize a few and save them for dinner time.

Now I know that when your kids get older they won't appreciate the corny jokes like they used to. Well, you might need to readjust your jokes, but don't stop laughing. Find out what makes them smile and show them that you still know how to laugh together.

Create Fun Traditions

If you've recently joined our parenting blog, then let me catch you up to speed.

We've been looking at how to cultivate a family identity. What sets our family apart from other families? What makes us special? What makes our kids think, "Wow! I'm glad to be a part of this family"? Let me give you this week's tip:

Create fun traditions.

In our family, we have a family night once a month. We’ll let the children stay up late, we’ll make popcorn, eat chocolate and watch a movie together or play a game. My kids love these times. They cuddle up in our arms and cherish every second. I can assure you that they'll never forget the way they felt on 'family night'.

Why not have a family night this week? Or plan one for this month. If not a family night, then think of a fun tradition that you can start with your family.

Talk It Up!

One way you can cultivate a family identity is to to talk about how great your family is with your kids.

Brag on your family.

Let your children know that you really love the family and think it’s so much fun. If Dad or Mom think the family is fantastic, then the kids will believe it too.

I'll sometimes shout out, “Who loves this family?! If you love this family, then raise your hand!" All of us throw our hands in the air…mine are the first to fly up. I'll regularly declare, "We have the best family in the world." I truly believe it, and I think our kids do too.