Be Deliberate in Family

Trials and hardships threaten the wellbeing of every family, but these moments can be used to effectively strengthen the relationships between family members. Staying together and working through marital difficulties fortifies a relationship and leads to satisfaction. Anyone with a happy marriage most likely went through times of discouragement. These experiences can often bring the couple closer together. It's hard to grow and succeed without first being stretched and tested.

Overcoming these challenges can be especially hard for a blended family. The husband and wife usually both carry baggage and have different expectations which can make the marriage very fragile. One of the most common struggles among these families is trying to develop the relationship between the children and stepparent. Future problems can typically be avoided when clear expectations and guidelines are set beforehand with warmth and kindness. In a blended family, the birth parent should always be the one to conduct all the heavy discipline. As families work together, they can reach the greatest satisfaction by sticking together and relying on each other for support during times of difficulty.

Parenting with Kindness

The most effective way to encourage children is to focus on their strengths and what they are doing right, rather than their shortcomings. Children will of course need guidance and counsel when they have made mistakes, but parents can go about this method through correct procedures. Parents can motivate their children to make good decisions when they have confidence in them and don't expect too much or too little from them.
Parents are almost always wrong when disciplining their children. Consequences should be directly related to the misbehavior and should be explained to the child. Practicing warmth and consistency is usually more impactful than being strict. Manipulation and control should be avoided. You wouldn't use these methods in any other civil circumstance, so they shouldn't be established in the relationship with your child.

Whistle While you Work

Work has been changed from something fun and meaningful that the family creates together to an inconvenient task that needs to get done. The role of the mother and wife is also something that has shifted in recent years. The traditional view of the work completed by husbands and wives is that the man goes out to his job while the woman upkeeps the home. The responsibility of homemaking has been somewhat frowned upon in modern times, but is something that is still important and necessary. It has become more commonplace for women to become employed outside of the home. Typically wives who work end up taking on twice as much work because they are still left with responsibilities in the home. Researchers have also found that the cost for mothers to work outside of the home tends to cost more than the income she is receiving. After calculating the payments made for transportation and childcare, it is sometimes more expensive for women to work rather than staying home.
A similar problem plagues children in the world today. Young children enjoy helping around the house, but this desire starts to root out of them as they grow older. Parents can help their children enjoy housework by making them feel like they are apart of doing something good. Use housework as a method of teaching children useful skills that they will need throughout their life. Parents can also find ways to make housework fun and exciting. The biggest way families can do this is through altering their mindset. They can view work as a time for their family to fix, clean, and progress together and bond as a family unit.