FIVE ASPECTS FOR HAVING A HAPPY FAMILY LIFE
Having outings together can enhance family life
Question
If you were to decide the 5 most important aspects for having a happy Family Life, which ones would they be and why?
Santi
Answer
The five aspects I believe are most important in contributing to a happy family life are as follows:
- Get together regularly.
- Say truthful things that your family members like to hear.
- Let them live their lives.
- Support them in times of difficulties.
- Encourage them in words and deeds.
If you hardly see your family, it is impossible to have a happy family life. You may say your have a happy family life, or think you have a happy family life, but you don’t have the opportunity to have a happy family life.
There are many ways for your family to get together. You may have a family day once a week, a fortnight or even a month. You can have a meal together at a restaurant, go outing together, or go shopping together.
If you succeed in getting your family together, you have an opportunity to make your family members happy, and enjoy a happy family life. However, if during the get-together, you start saying things they don’t like to hear, you will have adverse effects. Not only you will miss opportunities to enjoy a happy family life, your family members may dislike or even hate you. Hence, you need to say things that they like to hear. But you must be truthful.
You need to support your family members when they are in difficulties. Your support can be, but not necessarily be, in money. Giving money to family members in times of their needs will be very helpful. They will often remember your kindness, but you should never expect them to return your kindness or to repay you. It is best to do so in confidence, as your family members may not want others to know. If you do not give them money, say some encouraging words.
If your family members are not in difficulties, you can encourage them in words or in deeds. Your encouraging words or deeds should bring them benefits. For example, if they have a lot of free time, you can encourage them to take up a beneficial hobby. If they have extra money to spare, you can encourage them to go for a holiday. Family members often remember your encouragement, which will in turn contribute to your happy family life.
If you start to follow these five steps, you will find that your family life will become happy.
The questions and answers are reproduced from the thread 10 Questions on Happy Family Life in the Shaolin Wahnam Discussion Forum.
LINKS