Family life is an inevitable requirement of the human being. It goes without saying that our individual and collective existence drives/constrains us towards family life. A family, young or old, fervently yearns for happiness and unity. However, in this day and age when, according to statistics, marital/family problems are on the rise enormously, establishing a strong family unit is supposed to be quite a complicated and arduous task. But, in my opinion, the prevailing domestic affairs demand the right measures with commitments from all family members. Due to this, the associated household worries will be reduced and, as a result, the unity in the family will increase. We briefly mention the practices below.
- Communication – Research confirms that open and frequent communication is the quality of strong and united families. Communication has two aspects, speaking and listening. Speaking means transmitting ideas and feelings, while listening means receiving ideas and feelings, that is, paying attention to the speaker’s words. Getting to the heart of the matter, speaking requires honesty while listening requires fidelity. Family communication, in a nutshell, is a unique process that requires two platforms: speaking honestly and listening faithfully. Maintaining both platforms simultaneously is essential to cultivating a healthy and united family.
- proactive understanding – In domestic life, the proactive understanding of peers is very important. This phase is the concomitant feeling/reaction of the listener after the two-way communication with the speaker. Once the speaker’s words are out, they require more than just listening, in fact, they also imply respect and increased consideration on the part of the listener. This act is called proactive understanding. As a consequence of this attitude, companionship is carried out, similarities are shared and differences between family members are respected or reduced.
- Share household responsibilities and assign specific chores – Cooperation is as important in a family life as in a team. The sum total of the tasks should be divided, according to the needs of the household, and assigned to the members, according to their will and ability. For example, in the traditional family configuration, the task of cooking is assigned to the mother, the effort of mowing the lawn to the son, the housing to the girls, the financial struggle to the father, etc. The fair distribution of household responsibilities eliminates any possibility of hatred and jealousy in the family; rather salute peace and unity. Therefore, it is the duty of the head of the family to share the responsibilities of the home, equally and prudently, among all the members of the family.
- establish routines – Routines make life more organized. Research shows that a household performs best with regular, active routines. In addition to activity and regularity, it is recommended that family routines are also simple, that is, they do not put pressure on members. An overlooked benefit of a routine structure, according to multiple research, is that the effectiveness of the task performed as a routine, regularly, within a particular schedule/calendar, is significantly increased. General family routines include eating dinner together, visiting parks on the weekends, spending time as a family, and doing certain chores at specific times.
- spiritual efforts – Efforts through which the serenity of the soul is improved are called spiritual efforts. Like a body, each family unit has a separate soul. The purity/impurity of any family depends on its soul. Therefore, family members must participate in spiritual efforts to achieve purity. Generally, purity in a family means the moral improvement of the members. A few family soul purification efforts are revitalization/initiation goals, meditation and prayer together, discussion of inspirational literature or sacred revelations, and promotion of religious rituals.
- have fun together – Every family looks forward to free time, from time to time. Filling free time with recreational activities can bring freshness, love, and a togetherness-driven environment to household members. Also, some time off is usually a good idea to avoid exhaustion and monotony. Some common family hobbies include sharing and laughing at jokes, going out, vacationing abroad, and watching TV or movies together.
Most of the people urge to discover a proper technique to protect your family from breaches/conflicts. Conflict is an inevitable part of domestic life. A family can be a victim of different forms of conflict, such as miscommunication, excessive financial work, inequality between children, external motives/conspiracies, etc. These conflicts should never be allowed to escalate; otherwise, they can endanger the family, their near and dear ones. Therefore, before the conflicts overwhelm the family, the family must overcome the conflicts. The above steps are very useful to avoid gaps in family life.