In a recent episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show: The Podcast entitled “How Healthy is Your Family,” she features guest Dr. Paul Pearsall, author of the book “The Power of the Family.” These are some highlighted points of what Dr. Pearsall had to say about the health of the family unit:
- It is important to give dignity and celebration to the simple, daily acts of family life. Dr. Pearsall talks here about the rituals that we create in the family that celebrate time spent together such as family dinner and bedtime routines.
- The continuity of traditions helps to secure the child’s feeling of safety.
- An overarching goal for a healthy family is to lead with the forming of the ‘us’ quotient; a focus on scheduled, quality time spent together versus family members existing individually within the home.
Dr. Pearsall emphasizes that in order to achieve the ‘us quotient,’ we must prioritize family time. It is a slowing down, action versus words, seeking calm, family time together.
I especially love the words dignity and celebration. Just using those words as goals for our family reminds us that we have the ability to make the time we spend together joyful. It allows our children to refer and be influenced by family, to weather storms with a solid foundation.
To listen to the episode: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/own/the-oprah-winfrey-show-the-podcast/e/73831687
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