1 . Make your marriage a priority .
Research shows that happy marriages make happier kids . Rekindle the romance by flirting , being playful , going on dates , or just spending time alone once the kids are in bed . It ’ s easy to let the hectic parenting life draw us away from our partners , so we have to be intentional to maintain this important relationship .
2 . Commit to yelling less .
Again , the research is piling up on the harmful effects yelling can have on our families – especially our kids . There is a space between stimulus and response – between your child ’ s action and your reaction – that , when mindfully harnessed , provides the space for you to calm down and respond rather than react . Practice expanding that space a little every day .
3 . Slow down and unplug .
We love our smartphones , iPads , and social networking sites , but it can be easy to tune out our families when we ’ re plugged in all the time . If you want a happier , closer family , commit to some “ unplugged time ” daily . Put away all the gadgets , shut down the computer , and connect with your spouse and your kids for some time each day with no distractions . Purposefully leave some empty spaces on the calendar to just be together and enjoy each others company .
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