That's the advice of Dr. Ingeborg Haug, an associate professor of marriage and family therapy education at Fairfield University. In the midst of this, it is important to create rituals that we can depend on to bring us together.
Rituals add predictability and safety to our often hectic or even chaotic lives.
Rituals, she says, mark transitions during the day as well as during stages in our lives, such as graduations and weddings. Being mindful of creating daily rituals, even something as simple as sharing the evening meal, is especially important because it gives structure and comfort to our day. The old wisdom that the family gathers around the table to reconnect is still valid. Bedtime rituals for children, such as reading them a story, asking them about their day, and helping them to say their prayers, are especially important, Dr. Haug notes. Families often become so invested about a child's popularity, their involvement in sports and their scholastic achievement, that every moment is scheduled and the quiet times together are cut short.