Solutions for Families

How to Have Fabulous Family Meetings

Episode Summary

In this episode, I will teach you how to have effective, fabulous family meetings. Building a successful family is like building a home. Both need a plan. A successful family based on unity and love takes careful planning, but it’s worth every moment. The best way to be organized as a family is to hold weekly family meetings.

Episode Notes

Building a successful family is like building a home. Both need a plan. A successful family based on unity and love takes careful planning, but it’s worth every moment.

The best way to be organized as a family is to hold weekly family meetings. By doing this, families enjoy a special closeness and stability. Choosing to spend time with your family sends a message more powerful than words. Memories made together during this time will bond and sustain your family through the years.

The family meeting should be an important part of every family’s weekly schedule. The family meeting can have three parts. These are suggestions only; your weekly meeting can be anything your family wants it to be.

Parts of a Family Meeting:

∙ Family Council

∙ Lesson

∙ Activity

7 Ways to Make Your Meetings Fabulous:

Choose a special time each week that you set aside just for the family.
Cut out all distractions during that time — no TV, no homework, no phone.
Let family members know that this is the family’s time for each other.
Allow family members to take turns being responsible for parts of the meeting.
Adapt the lessons and activities to the needs of your family.
Plan fun family activities.
Keep the tone of the meeting positive.

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Episode Transcription

This is Solutions for Families – where parents come with problems and leave with solutions. I’m Paula Fellingham – thank you for joining me!

Building a successful family is like building a home. Both need a plan. A successful family based on unity and love takes careful planning, but it’s worth every moment.

Parts of the Family Meeting:

∙ Family Council

∙ Lesson

∙ Activity

The Family Council is a time to do three things: Schedule activities, talk about family matters, and plan the next family meeting.

Let's talk about scheduling activities. Coordinating schedules and planning family activities needs to be done weekly. When everyone is present (with calendars or note paper) discuss each day of the week. Try to plan a daily schedule that allows your family to eat at least one meal together each day...even if meal time is a little later or earlier than is most convenient for every person. Sometimes individual schedules are adjusted for the good of the family. Talk about upcoming events. Decide when family members can support one another by attending their activities. Then plan one family activity. Remember to talk about all the details of the activity. This will include the date, time, meeting place, money and food needed, special clothes to be worn, etc. When conflicts arise, this family activity has highest priority.

Next, talk about family matters. Discuss household chores, family problems, and anything a family member wants to talk about. A family discussion is the core of the family council. This is a valuable opportunity each week to gather around and share feelings about the family. Anything that needs to be discussed can be shared at this time. It is very important that all family members speak only positively, and allow the person talking to share his feelings in an atmosphere of empathy and caring. This is a time to voice concerns and suggestions for the good of the family.

Finally, plan your next week’s family meeting. To make sure that your next family meeting will be a success and each family member will be involved, talk about who will give the lesson, who will help with the activity, and who will prepare the treats.

The second part of the family meeting is the lesson. The weekly family meeting is an excellent time to teach a lesson. This can be a discussion on correct behavior, good manners, or one of the important moral values which help shape children’s characters. The opportunity to meet together regularly as a family to learn “life lessons” is priceless. Parents, this is your stewardship. Unless you teach your children, how will they learn the principles and values you want them to know? Decide as parents in advance what should be taught each week.

The last part of a family meeting is doing an activity. The activity is an important part of the meeting. Families need to have fun together! The activity should be something that everyone enjoys. It could be as simple as a family walk in the neighborhood, or playing a board game. The activity could be watching a movie as a family, going to a sporting event, or doing a service for a friend or neighbor. The most important thing is that the family is all together, enjoying themselves.

As a family, use these 7 ways to hold a fabulous family meeting using as many of the suggestions as possible. Don’t be discouraged if your meetings aren’t perfect--no family’s meetings are. Do your best and congratulate yourselves on participating in an activity that will bring your family closer together.

Choose a special time each week that you set aside just for the family.
Cut out all distractions during that time — no TV, no homework, no phone.
Let family members know that this is the family’s time for each other.
Allow family members to take turns being responsible for parts of the meeting. Family members will feel more involved and will learn more if they participate in the meeting. Children can prepare a poem, story, song, part of the lesson, refreshments or plan the activity. You may want to rotate the responsibilities of the weekly meeting to involve the entire family.
Adapt the lessons and activities to the needs of your family. Every family has different strengths and weaknesses. Think about lessons your family needs and activities your family will enjoy. Then plan lessons and activities to meet those needs.
Plan fun family activities. Time together should be enjoyable. Playing games, cooking, or giving service are some suggestions for weekly meeting activities. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.
Keep the tone of the meeting positive. This is a time when each family member should feel loved and accepted. Everyone should be able to speak without being criticized. It can be a time for setting family goals and solving family problems. It should always be a time to enjoy each other. It is most important to be positive and patient. The growth of a child and a family is a gradual process--one day, one act of love at a time. Your family can be built on love and unity with the help of a weekly family meeting.

FAMILY MEETING SAMPLE AGENDA

Welcome

Song/Poem

Family Council

Discuss and schedule the week’s activities.
2. Discuss family matters: household chores, family problems, and anything a family member wants to talk about with the family.
Plan next week’s family meeting.

Lesson

Activity

Treats

Okay, my friends. Until the next episode, have a beautiful day and please subscribe to my podcast, tell your friends about Solutions for Families, and come see me on paulafellingham.com. As always, I send you my love….

And - if you have a question about something I’ve said or about anything going on in your family – or in your life - I invite you to my free weekly Zoom call! It’s Ask Paula Anything – every Thursday morning at 9am Pacific Time. I share MORE tips and solutions on that call, where you can ask me a question anonymously, or just listen to the others. You’re welcome to email your question and I’ll answer it without saying your name… email AskPaula@PaulaFellingham.com. I love these calls where some people have big breakthrough moments. Just click on ASK PAULA on my website PaulaFellingham.com.