As a parent, we always want the best for our children. We want them to study well, go to college and be successful. But more than that we want them to be better and more responsible human beings. For we know it very well that life will be tough, and good things won’t be served to them on a silver platter. They have to be mature, responsible, and accountable and at the same time a kind human being who remains uncorrupted by the evils of the world.
We can of course give them a pep talk. But it won’t be much of a help if they don’t know what to do. Family rituals can be an ideal way to not only teach them values and responsibility but bond as a family. So, if you want nothing else but for your child to be responsible, kind, and compassionate, here are all the rituals you can follow.
40 Family Rituals that Teach Responsibility, Kindness and Compassion to Kids
Here are 40 family rituals that teach responsibility, kindness, and compassion to kids:
To teach responsibility
Dividing chores between family members to promote accountability and responsibility in kids. You can reserve the easiest for children. For instance, something as simple as hanging out clothes to dry, clearing tables, placing napkins. For adults, chores like setting up the table, making a dish, doing laundry, etc.
Being responsible for their own chores. Encourage every member to do their own chores – whether it is washing their dishes, doing their laundry, etc.
Doing chores together. Not only would it improve coordination and develop team spirit, but it will also promote accountability and responsibility. These activities can include baking a cake together or cooking a yummy delicacy for dinner. One can also take responsibility such as chopping veggies; another person can take charge of frying the vegetables.
Money-saving together – One person responsible for grocery shopping another for monitoring the bills and so on. Also encourage them to save money in every category of expense.
Preparing for Christmas together. One person can be in charge of the décor, another can be in charge of baking, and so on.
Arrange camping trips together. This will encourage problem-solving skills that would help build responsibility.
If your children are old enough, you can include them in your trips to banks, to also make them learn about banking and money management.
Arrange picnics, and divide the responsibilities in between. One can work on music, another can work on food and games, and so on.
To teach Kindness
Volunteering at charity centers or orphanages together.
Take some food items such as cookies and bread to give out to the homeless on your drive out. Every member of the family can be responsible for carrying these food items every time you all go out.
Do not throw away things after a session of decluttering. Donate the things to charity and orphanages.
Packing lunches in extra quantities for your kids to encourage sharing.
Sending out sweet messages to loved ones.
Always sharing food with family members.
Donating a small part of pocket money/salary to those in need.
Have a session of story-telling. You can also pick the ones that spread the message of kindness. Let each family member do that.
Encourage everyone to share one good deed they did this month.
Doing something nice for each other. For instance, saving them an extra slice of pizza.
Picking movies that uphold kindness as a value.
Watching a random movie or series. And also picking out instances of kindness together.
Practicing affirmations together such as “My goal for the day is to be kind to the people around me.”
Share childhood stories. Recall instances when someone had been extremely kind to you.
Writing out thoughtful wishes for Christmas cards together.
To teach compassion
To encourage forgiveness every time a family member makes mistakes. (However, it might not always be a clean slate.) Encourage forgiving unintentional mistakes.
Arranging surprise birthday parties for closed ones.
Make handmade birthday gifts together for loved ones.
Feeding animals together as a family every time you go out.
Encourage hugging when you find someone crying.
Being a good listener to each other’s problems as a family.
Practice gratitude together every night.
Pray together.
Pray for somebody whom you might not know but still are empathetic towards.
Donate to local festivals and events.
Volunteer in local events like carnivals and concerts.
Do exercises that promote positivity.
Have a talking session every day to bond as a family.
Spare five minutes every day to talk about your day or how you feel. Focus on letting out the negative feelings.
Encourage your family to send out thank you notes for gifts you received and dinners you went to.
You can review your year on New Year’s Eve – talk about how your year went, and what you loved and hated about it.
Send out Christmas cards together. Encourage everybody to write some kind words.
We’ve all heard it said that it takes a village to raise a child. And, as parents, we know that raising our kids is one of the most important jobs we will ever have. But what does it mean to raise responsible, kind and compassionate children? It means doing things together as a family – rituals that help teach these values in an everyday way. So here are 40 family rituals that can help you achieve this goal. Do any of these resonate with you and your family? If so, start implementing them today!
We all dream of a clean and tidy home as if it’s something supernatural or impossible to achieve. Supernatural – definitely not. Impossible – well, it can feel that way if you are a working mom who spends all day working and running, only to come back home dead tired, and on the edge after finding their home nothing but a mess.
The same goes for the work from home mom who spends all of their time in front of their desk only to come out for lunch and sometimes a water refill. Many would assume we would have all the time in the world working from home to keep the house clean during our working hours.
Does that sound familiar? If yes, then I can understand how bad you wish to have a clean home. It might feel impossible, but it is not. Given, there are working moms out there who manage to keep a clean house.
You must be wondering, “How the hell do they do that?”
Well, they have their secrets, which I am going to spill out in this very article. So, keep reading.
10 secrets to keeping a clean house as a working mom
1. Prepare the night before
Tell me if you don’t throw away your sweaters, jackets, and scarves on the bed or floor every time you leave for work, all because you don’t have enough time to keep things in their proper place. Guilty, right? Well, the morning rush does that to everybody. So, the trick here is to prepare the night before so you save time and don’t leave a mess behind. Here’s how
Select your clothes, iron them, and hang them by the hanger on a door, or at the front of your cabinet.
Keep your essentials in the bag the night before.
Chop vegetables for breakfast. While you are at it, look for quick breakfast options that won’t create a huge mess.
Keep the cosmetics you would need to get ready nearby.
2. Don’t procrastinate
Have a jacket to put in the closet? Well, don’t just leave it there, even if you think you’ll pick it up later. Just know the word, Later is a scam.
So, make it a rule to do things then and there. Don’t procrastinate, pick up the things, wash the dishes, and keep things properly right at the moment. You wouldn’t want to come back home to a messed-up home, would you?
The same goes for your kids, if they have something laying around, it’s good practice to teach them to pick it up and put it where it goes the second they (most likely you) see it.
3. Encourage your family to do their own chores
Yes, you are the mother, but it doesn’t mean you have to do everything by yourself – even the chores that are not yours to do in the first place. Gender roles are history, so it’s time you encourage your family to do their chores – whether it is washing their dishes, doing their laundry, cooking their food, or cleaning their rooms.
In our home, my husband does his own laundry because he likes to wear the same things multiple times a week, even with a closet full of capable clothing. Our girls do the dishes and are responsible for keeping their rooms cleaned as well as the dog messes in the yard once a week.
Leila’s teacher let them play a game in school in her 5th grade class and one of the questions was if they had to do chores at home. Out of 20 students, only 3 of them had chores. 3! It’s no wonder us moms and dads are overwhelmed by housework! Now is the time to teach your children how to do chores and at the very least clean their own rooms!
4. Encourage your family to help you out
Another variation to the former point, but the logic is the same – you are not a superhuman who can do everything. Your family should help out. Ergo, if everybody is in favor, consider dividing chores between your family members – You can reserve the easiest for your children – like collecting dirty clothes in the laundry basket and picking up things.
Sometimes when we have a lot of laundry from returning from travel, or just a hectic week I will start a load of laundry and let them collect in the laundry baskets. Steve is very adamant about the 4 of us getting all the laundry and dumping it on the couch and folding and putting it away together. While we do have a cleaning crew that comes once a week, sometimes the laundry is out of control and needs help. This is a nice relief when we can all do it together.
5. Use technology to make your work easy
It’s simple – if you can afford cleaning technologies, why wouldn’t you? Cleaning machines like vacuum cleaners, dishwashers, and washing machines exist to make our lives effortless. You cannot remain an old school for the rules of it. Be open-minded if you aren’t already.
Pro Tip — We have the iRobot vacuum (this is the exact one we have) and also a mopping robot that clean and mop the floors because our dogs are major shedders! They go off on a specific schedule each day and it’s one less thing I have to worry about because they clean the whole floor and when they are done, they go back to their home for the rest of the day.
6. Don’t over clean
Do you wash your clothes after every wear? If you do, you’re making yourself work for no reason at all. This needs to be said a lot – some clothes don’t require washing after every wear. Considerthis guide for details.
7. Keep everything organized
Does cleaning seem like a mountain to climb? Well, it can certainly feel that way if one doesn’t have everything organized. If you want your cleaning to be quick, organize right by allocating a place for every type of item.
Tip – If you find your drawers extremely cluttered, you can invest in storage items like small boxes, and trays to make everything more organized.
8. Own fewer things
Do you know the root of the problem? Our homes are full of clutter, which is why cleaning seems a hassle. The solution is easy (but requires you to have a strong heart to let go) – Declutter and own a few things. The fewer things you own, the less will be the mess.
9. Get professional help
Don’t hesitate to dial cleaning services when you are in desperate need. These services can be a little investment but are totally worth it if they can save the day.
10. Take it easy
You are a working mom who runs like a robot – cut yourself some slack and take it easy. The world won’t collide if you don’t clean for a day or don’t make cleaning your priority if you have other things to worry about. It’s okay. Try your best, and it will still be enough.
Hey there, do you have some cleaning tips we all can use? Feel free to share them in the comment section.
The word “Sacred” and “Sacred space” might not always have religious connotations as it is often believed. In fact, a sacred space can be an area where you feel closer to yourself or something you believe in. In other words, you can call it your sanctuary where you can find peace, happiness, and solace.
For some people, sacred can have religious connotations because they find peace in God, and everything divine. They set their sacred space to feel closer to their God. As for others, a sacred space can be a zone where they feel themselves. For instance, if you’re a book-lover, your sacred space can be a library.
Ergo, the point is, the word ‘sacred’ has different and subjective meanings. Which meaning you choose is precisely what you believe in. Nonetheless, it is any place you feel safe in – be it with yourself or in a space that connects you to your God, or your spiritual self.
So, if you know where and what makes you feel safe, it would be a good idea to create a sacred space for you to stay calm, relax and rewind.
Here’s how you can create it.
How to create your own high-vibe sacred space
1. Choose your space
To build your dream home, you need to first select a land. Likewise, to create your own sacred space you have to choose a space that you think would be the most appropriate for the purpose.
If your meaning of a sacred space is something divine, related to God, then you might have to create a space that is suitable from the point of astrology. In other words, you might have to pick a direction most suitable for your endeavor.
If your meaning of sacred space is a library, then think which would be the best place to have shelves and store hundreds of your favorite books.
These are two examples, and the answers differ as to what you consider your sacred space to be. That being said, if it helps here are some space suggestions:
Table, desk, corner table
Shelf, cabinet, and wardrobes
Bedside table, dresser
Room corners
Window sill
Entranceway
Outdoor area
A separate room
2. Picture it
Time to use a little bit of imagination. The whole process would be effortless if you would already have in mind what your sacred space should look like.
If not, think through. You can also head to Pinterest for some ideas and inspiration to create your own high vibe sacred space.
3. Prepare your space
If you live in a cluttered place, then you would certainly have to make room for your sacred space. Clearing things would definitely help. However, if you are running storage issues – try decluttering.
For some added inspiration: What matters is you, and your sacred space. So, try to get rid of things that would not meet the purpose you have set your mind to.
Lastly, this doesn’t need much emphasis, but your space needs to be clean. So, get your dusting cloth and get started. To add an aesthetic touch, you might want to paint to add uniqueness to your space. Choose a color that calms you down – white and off-white are highly suggested. Don’t go for dark and dull colors – they won’t provide you peace and calm as light shades would.
4. Add things you want to
Once you picture the space, you would also be picturing the inclusions. So, this as well is a question only you can answer. Think through, make a list, set a budget, and then get started with acquiring the things.
If your idea of a sacred space is a spiritual one, then you must consider adding healing stones such as Rose Quartz in your collection.
Once you have acquired all of them, set the place. (At this point, you’d be pretty excited, wouldn’t you?
5. Make it comfortable
It’s a rule – your sacred space has to be comfortable – otherwise, it will defeat the purpose. So, add all the things that will get your body to relax. It can be a reading chair if you are setting up a library or a mat if you are creating space for yoga.
Lastly, just keep adoring it
Now that you are done with it, there’s nothing left but sitting back and adoring the sacred space you created. It’s your sanctuary. Don’t be afraid to come in as often as you like or need and enjoy it. Soak in the energy you created and let all your worries disappear!
Hey there, what does sacred mean to you? How do you create your sacred space? Feel free to talk your heart out with us in the comment section.
Not all of us come from a financially blessed family. Growing up, my family was put on the list of free lunch service at school, and would get donations for gifts from community members, so I know what it’s like first hand to struggle. Some of us have to work extra hard to make our ends meet and to provide for ourselves or our families. Whether it is juggling extra jobs, or working in a corporate sector, it’s a pain to drag yourself to meet your expenses. If the struggle seems familiar to you, then you know not just earning, but saving can be difficult too.
You have to be frugal; you have to think a million times before buying something and make hundreds of sacrifices to adhere to your budget. It’s all a struggle.
However, as much as challenging it is, there are some aspects we must never be frugal about. In other words, we might cut back on other expenses, but MUST NOT on these!
5 Important things you should NOT be frugal about
1. Healthcare
You cannot put a price tag on life. It’s literally priceless – all the reason why you must never try to be frugal when it comes to healthcare. There’s no doubt that healthcare is extremely expensive and not everyone can afford it. But you cannot settle for anything less.
Healthcare is not a piece of clothing you can get in for cheap at a different store. So, it’s time you understand that you cannot be frugal about it. Get health insurance, pay regular premiums, go for regular checkups, don’t ignore the warning signs, and invest in medicines that are essential for your wellbeing. Don’t try to trim your budget for that.
My dad has had Epilepsy since he was 12, so I remember growing up with pill bottle after pill bottle he would take each morning and each night on a specific schedule. He also had to go to the doctor every six months for checkups to ensure he was still managing his Epilepsy properly. He had really great healthcare because he didn’t have a choice, it was a matter of life and death. We didn’t necessarily have the same experience as kids. If something was wrong, mom would try to care for us at home first, then we would see a doctor at the last minute. I have reeling teeth problems because I didn’t go to the dentist often as a child and also didn’t have great oral hygiene instilled in me.
However, if it helps, you can avoid some medical expenses by living a healthy lifestyle. Eat clean, develop some healthy habits, and exercise regularly to ensure that your immunity is strong enough to battle diseases.
2. Education
High school education is okay, but higher education can be pretty expensive – which is why parents often spend their lives accumulating money for their kids to pay for education.
Sadly, education has become more of a business these days. But this is something you cannot control, so you cannot be frugal here. Consider education as an investment for the future. You might have to incur heavily right now, but perhaps in the next 10-15 years, you’ll recover 5x of the amount you spent.
I am proud to say I’m the first and only Bachelor’s Degree earning immediate family member of my family. I accumulated a ton of debt during the six years it took me to graduate and did so even with my oldest daughter on my hip for the last year of college. It was tough, but also important for me to finish something and set the example for my children.
You may spend your savings, or you may borrow money. However, be mindful of the amount. You still have to spare some for emergencies.
3. Good Food
Yes, you can definitely cut back on instant noodles, unnecessary sauces and spreads, and all those unhealthy food items on the grocery shelves. But you cannot cut back your expenses on healthy food.
When it comes to health – it’s precious, all the expenses are worth it if it keeps you in the best health. You cannot settle for low-quality food items that might cause you some serious health issues – it will add stress, struggle, and not to mention additional medical bills.
So, go on, don’t think twice before investing in healthy vegetables, food and dairy items. Pick the best. However, if you’re looking for even a little scope of saving, I suggest growing your own veggies, or picking different grocery stores that offer cheaper but quality food (However, don’t experiment too much). Trust me, there are no other ways.
If you are interested in growing your own veggies and fruits, I highly recommend you check out the AeroGarden. I absolutely love mine and no longer need to purchase lettuce from the store!
4. Invest in Experiences
At the end of the day, the goal is not just to survive but to live. You must have a bunch of good memories and experiences to look back on in life, and if that requires investing, it’s totally worth it. Not to mention, some good memorable experiences can make you happier. So, if something makes you happy, don’t think twice.
Save and go on multiple vacations. I know it can be extremely expensive, but once you spend quality time in a relaxing, spectacular place, it’s worth every penny. However, if you are really too tight to go on vacations, enjoy the small experiences. Go out, taste authentic delicacies, eat at fancy restaurants, have the time of your life, because you’re lucky enough that you have one to live. Be grateful! Remember, you don’t have to travel far to have an experience, I’m sure there are plenty of places you can visit around you that will create memories for a lifetime.
5. Hobbies
Once again, if it makes you happy, it’s worth every penny. Hobbies and happiness go hand in hand. Doing something that your heart lies in makes life so much worth living. So, don’t hold yourself back from investing in your hobbies.
Whether it is investing in a music class, or buying expensive canvas colors, go ahead and do it. It’s okay to do something that you like, and it’s okay to spend it on activities that provide solace to your soul. YOU MATTER.
I know these expenses can cause a lot of financial burdens. But sometimes, things are worth the money you invest in – include these five in it.
So, if you think you can, don’t hold yourself back. Accept it – they are necessary expenses.
Hey there, do you always stay frugal? What is your opinion about spending on these areas? Feel free to share your views with us in the comment section.
Do you put dresses back in the aisle because there are expenses to incur? Do you cancel your plans because your partner made both of yours without running them by you? Trust me, when it comes to making sacrifices for the sake of others’ happiness, we champion that. Not because we like to make sacrifices, but because we think doing the opposite might make someone unhappy. We cannot do that. Why? Because apparently, that’s selfish.
Well, at least that’s what we think. But here’s a piece of truth. Finding your happiness, or doing things that make you feel happy is not being selfish. If you think it is, you better not skip reading what I have to say.
7 reasons why finding happiness for yourself isn’t selfish
1. You are supposed to live your life, not just survive it
There’s a difference between surviving and living. Surviving means you are just going through life without enjoying it with no concern about happiness. A life of survival just means stress and misery. Life is too short to live this way.
So, your goal should not be survival but living. Do all the things that you love to do – even when it involves disagreeing with people. You have to listen to yourself as well, don’t be someone who looks up to the voices from outside and ignores the ones inside.
2. You are a human
You are a human; you are not a superhuman who can keep everyone happy. Trust me, keeping everyone pleased and satisfied is not possible even if it is a superpower that humans can have.
So, once in a while focus on yourself too. If you know something can make you happy – get it. Even the little things like the dress you had your eyes on but did not buy it because other family members had expenses to incur. Little things count. And if they make you happy – don’t think twice.
3. You have to save yourself
Sometimes you won’t stand up for yourself just because there’s a risk involved – hurting others and you depend on them. But trust me when I say this – if you don’t stand up for yourself, no one will. You can save yourself from the fall if you push yourself up.
People who genuinely care about you won’t judge you for choosing your happiness. In fact, they’ll understand your situation. At the end of the day – happiness is a basic need.
4. Putting yourself first doesn’t mean you’re disregarding others.
Don’t feel guilty about putting yourself first. It’s not a crime to think about yourself. If you are not comfortable doing something, don’t do it. At the same time, don’t think, saying “No” is equal to disregarding others’ feelings. If they feel disregarded, it speaks about their character. They might even be the toxic lot you should stay away from.
So, the next time, your colleague hands you over a pile full of files after your shift ends, say No, or if your friends force you into smoking knowing that you don’t, do not hesitate – Say NO.
5. You deserve to be taken care of – If not by others, then by yourself.
Ask yourself, are you the one who takes care of everybody? You make sacrifices for them, go the extra mile to make them happy? If yes, you’re definitely an angel. But just so you know, angels take care of themselves too.
So, if you think asking your family to be responsible for cleaning their dishes would allow you a moment of peace and rest, go ahead and speak your mind. Examples can be many but the point remains the same – it’s equally important to take care of yourself.
6. Your happiness matters too
You keep on making sacrifices, doing things you don’t want to as if your happiness is not important as that of others. But it is not true. Your happiness, your choices matter because you are the sailor of your own boat. As said before, you have to live life, not survive it. The only way to do that is to do things and make choices that make you happy.
7. Your purpose in life is not to please people
Your purpose in life might be to help people, but it’s not to please people. You don’t owe it to anybody to keep them happy and satisfied. So, you might as well live a life without bothering yourself with the task. Pleasing people is not an obligation, so stop treating it as one.
Having said that, you’re more than just a people pleaser; you’re not the manager of a restaurant who has to keep their customers happy and satisfied. So, it’s time you come to terms with reality and start finding your own happiness.
I hope these reasons changed your mind. But once again, keeping yourself first is not being selfish – it just means you’re listening to yourself. That’s not something you should be ashamed of.
Life doesn’t always keep its blessed palms over your head. Things change, tragedies happen, and you reach rock bottom. You think you can never get back, you think things will never get better. (But they always do)
Having said that, rock bottom can definitely give you a lot to deal with, like pain, suffering, hardships, that you might want to run away from every day. But the bright side is, it gives you life lessons that you couldn’t have learned any other way.
Here are some that you might relate to.
7 life lessons only rock bottom can teach you
1. What you thought were the worst days, were good days
How often have you thought you were unhappy, even when everything around you was kind of okay? I bet there are plenty of days when you cried yourself to sleep thinking life couldn’t get worse than this. But now, when you actually hit the rock bottom, were the past days not better?
Sadly, you only realize this when you reach the lowest point. You would give anything to go back to those previous days – the days you thought were the worst. And when you get out of these days, you will look back on them and realize how grateful you can be today and tomorrow with those days behind you.
2. Everything is temporary
Nothing can be permanent; not people, not the phases of life, not even good days. It’s funny how we believe that things are going to stay the same until they do not. One day you might have a roof over your head, the other day you won’t. One day you’ll have people who you thought were for a lifetime, but the next day, they vanish.
Having said that, when you reach rock bottom, tables turn. Your life witnesses a lot of transitions that you thought were possible, but you never imagined yourself being in that shoe. When you hit rock bottom, you can assess the people and things in your life and really decide if you need them, or if they were obstacles in your journey, maybe even holding you down. Once you free them and yourself, you can start to look for the light and the lessons.
3. Life can never be constant
Life is like a road. You can never drive on a smooth and straight road forever. There comes a time, when you have to drive through bumps and potholes. In simple words, things don’t remain the same, no matter how bad you want them to be. It’s a fact that you have to come to terms with.
Nonetheless, there’s still hope though. If life isn’t constant, and good days do not stay, that means, bad days won’t either. Life can never be a straight line. You learn it only after hitting the rock bottom.
My absolute favorite quote is by Coco Chanel and it says, “In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.” The sooner you learn this in life the better you will be when it comes to hitting rock bottom and bouncing back.
4. You have a choice, you always do
They say you are the writer of your own life. The quote has several layers to it if you think about it. You might not think you are the writer because you cannot control some things in life – especially tragedies. But at the same time, you can control how to react to those situations. (In this case, you’re the writer)
That being said, you always have a choice. That choice might not be controlling the event, but how you react. Imagine this, you are walking down the road, but you fall down. You’re injured and in pain. What can you do? You can either sit there, do nothing about it, and let the pain consume you, or you can scream, get up, and get yourself help. The choice is yours.
Thus, even when you are at rock bottom, you have the choice to stay there or get out of it, no matter what.
5. You learn new lessons even if you don’t want to
There’s a quote that goes around – “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. There is no denying that tragedies do make you stronger. You do not just gain strength but you gain lessons too. But even when you know there’s a lot to take, you’d give anything away to not learn those lessons, at least this way. In other words, you don’t want to learn things the hard way.
But then again, as we do not decide the syllabus we study, we cannot decide what lessons we learn. It’s all planned. So, we might as well accept the lessons even when we don’t want to. Always remember, the lessons are put there for a reason, and the sooner you learn and implement them, the better you will be in life.
6. You gain wisdom and maturity
Once again, you always have something to gain (even when you don’t want to). This includes wisdom and maturity. How?
It’s simple – When you hit the rock bottom, you learn how to manage things, how to get back. You gain the insights that you can use in the future to make better and wiser decisions in life. Everyone has hit rock bottom at some point in their life whether they realize it or not. Yours may have been shorter than mine or someone else’s, which doesn’t matter. What matters is how you implemented the wisdom and maturity during your time and where you took it from there.
7. You start becoming more grateful
As they say, you only discern the importance of things when you lose them. Hitting rock bottom can make you lose everything – sometimes you even lose yourself. It is only when you look back at how life used to be back then, you realize what you had was good.
So, when you rise, and things get better, you become more grateful because you knew what it felt like to lose everything and everyone you got. You begin to cherish people, cherishing moments more than ever. You have better discernment for those in your life who are there to keep you down and those who will help you back up.
Sometimes rock bottom is the best place to be to find your true self and what you are meant to do in this life. It may not seem it at the time, but the things you needed to go through are important lessons to have and learn. Once you learn them, you can move on to the next thing to build yourself back up. Trust me, rock bottom is a lesson we all have to go through at some point or another, and the lessons are essential. Hang in there, you will get through it.
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