Celebrate National
Family Month
Adapted from
Single P
arenting: Building
Strong Families
, Univ
ersity of New
Hampshire Cooperative Extension-Family Development Fact Sheet,
4/02 ceinfo.unh.edu
National F
amily Month is
celebrated in June. This is a good time to reflect on your
family and
how to make it
stronger. Strong families share many of the same qualities.
Build T
rust
Strong f
amilies build
trusting relations by following through with promises.
Show Commitment
Strong f
amilies feel like a
team. They share traditions like having a family picnic on the
Fourth of
July or taking walks
together after dinner. Family members show commitment to the
family by
making time for family events and making sacrifices for one
another.
Communicate
Members of strong f
amilies talk to one
another about important decisions and daily plans.
They discuss
feelings as well as day-to-day activities at school or work.
When there are conflicts,
strong families take time to cool down before responding. They
don't bottle up their anger or
let it get out of hand. They talk about possible solutions to
problems and work together to carry
out the best solution.
Grow Through
Crises
All f
amilies experience
crises. Strong families use these experiences to learn and grow.
They
know even bad
experiences can bring about good changes and help them to become
closer.
They admit problems instead of hiding them. They seek help when
needed.
Spend T
ime Together
Strong f
amilies spend time
together, talking, reading, playing games, taking walks,
cooking.
Some special times
involve closeness, like reading a good-night story and tucking
children
into bed with a kiss.
Have Fun as a
Family
Strong f
amilies know that
having fun is important and make plans to have fun together.
They
plan family trips or
parties. Strong families know that laughter is important and use
humor to
help reduce stress. Family members laugh
with one
another
, not
at one another
.
Show Love and
Affection
No mat
ter what children say
or do, they need to know that their parents love them. Strong
families show caring
in many ways. Family members say to each other, "I love you" or
"I'm
happy we're in this family together." They give hugs and show
affection in other small ways.
They may call each other nicknames and enjoy remembering family
stories.
Safe Children and
Healthy Families Are a Shared Responsibility
