More and more research studies are concluding that regular dinners are the key to a happy, healthy family. Dinnertime is a great time to discuss how well your family is working. The Week highlights an agile approach to this (something we’ve seen similarly applied to parenting in general).
Taking excerpts from the book The Secrets of Happy Families, The Week quotes Scrum software developer Jeff Sutherland‘s approach:
The centerpiece of the program is a weekly review session built on the principle of "inspect and adapt."
Three questions get asked:
1. What things went well in our family this week?
2. What things could we improve in our family?
3. What things will you commit to working on this week?
You don’t have to actually fire off those questions directly like that, but those three things are good ones to discuss with your family on a regular basis. Just having regular dinners and meaningful conversations during them could improve just about everything parents worry about. If the agile approach isn’t for you, try the 10-50-1 formula also taken from the book:
10. Aim for ten minutes of quality talk per meal. .. 50. Let your kids speak at least half the time. … 1. Teach your kids one new word every meal.
Hit up the link below for lots more family bonding advice.
The secrets of happy families | The Week
Photo by Lars Plougmann.
via Lifehacker
3 Questions to Ask at Dinner to Make Your Family Stronger