Benefits of Multigenerational Households

In decades past, we Americans have become used to the concept of the nuclear family. Traditionally this consists of the mom, dad and kids and sometimes pets. But in other cultures such as Africa and Latin America, multigenerational iving is not anything new. I grew up in a multigenerational household for most of my childhood and teenage years. When my parents worked, my late great-grandmother would watch me and then when my grandmother returned home from work, she watched me. My aunt also lived with me so she did all the fun stuff such as the snowball stand, activities at the library, and at the movies. My daughter is also being raised in a multigenerational household. Here are some benefits of multigenerational living.

Grandparents Experience More Fulfillment

An important part of multigenerational households is that the grandparents get to enjoy the family more. I can't tell you how many times my dad gets excited whenever he sees my daughter walk in his room. They play together all of the time and he takes her outside quite often. He already has these long term plans for her and it makes my heart glad because since her father is not heavily involved in her life, my dad is a father figure. My mom just adores her too; she plays music for her and applies firm discipline when needed. My grandmother usually has her in the garden in the morning and gives her sweets.

Financial Benefits

It is also cost-effective to live in a multigenerational household. If I have to work, my parents or brother might watch her for the day and if they are unable to, my grandmother or aunt might do it. This eliminates the need for me to pay high daycare prices each month or week, and I can put more of my income towards savings and contributing to the family finances. In addition, since my grandmother is the one who is in charge of the mortgage for the home, our income helps her pay for it as well as other utilities. My aunt brings her everywhere so she doesn't have to worry about bus or cab fare.

Timeless Wisdom

When I was a child, my grandmother instilled biblical values that are still important to me today. I also learned these from my late great-grandmother, mom and my aunt. From my dad I learned the importance of hard work and taking initiative regarding achievement of goals. My brother taught me a lot about the importance of having discernment and not falling for every fad or new way of thinking. My mom taught me about being a proper lady, housekeeping skills and the rules of dating and marriage.

Three Times the Fun

There is so much fun in a multigenerational household. My family often goes on road trips and we hang out at restaurants, festivals, shopping malls and pumpkin patches. During these road trips we discuss family memories and talk about any long term goals we might have individually and as a family. In the home we dance, play board games, have spirited debates, and cook and clean together. There is never a dull moment in a multigenerational household.

With these benefits, it is no surprise that we are seeing a revived popularity and interest in building a multigenerational household.

Frugal Ways to Have Fun With Girls

This post is inspired by my recent visit to the pumpkin patch yesterday with my one year old daughter. She played among the pumpkins and walked around the patch touching them. I snapped quite a few pictures of the outing and we had a great time. If you have a little girl and on a budget, here are some frugal activities that will make her smile.

Bowling Alley

Bowling is a longtime frugal pastime and you and your daughter can engage in healthy competition there. The snacks sold there are affordable and sometimes the place has fun activities and contests for the kids. To make it memorable, dress your daughter as her favorite cartoon or sitcom character and you can dress up as your favorite celebrity.

Jumping Rope

Jumpropes are inexpensive and you can create all kinds of games while playing with them. If you have two or more girls, you can play double dutch jumprope games. One girl is at one end of the rope while another girl is at the other end. Both girls are turning the rope simultaneously while you and the other girls jump in the middle of the rope.

Day of Beauty

Make your daughter feel confident in her appearance by giving her a day of beauty. Start by giving your daughter a deep conditioning in her hair and giving her the style she wants. After this you can give your daughter a pedicure and manicure. From there you can apply lip gloss and light blush on her. End the day by shopping for new outfits at the thrift store and having dinner at an affordable restaurant.

Give Sewing Lessons

It seems that sewing is slowly becoming of less importance in the home but it is still a good skill to know. Teach your daughter frugality by giving her sewing lessons. Start with the basics and once a week going forward, you can add more complex sewing techniques to her lessons. If you're not good at sewing, the both of you can take free classes at a community center.

Dancing in the Living Room

This is something my mom did with me when I was little and I hope to do the same thing with my girl. Turn on her favorite songs and have her teach you the latest dance moves. Then you put on upbeat songs from the decade you grew up in and teach your daughter some of the dance moves you did in your younger years. This is a humorous way to enjoy each other's company.

Board Games

This is a timeless and frugal activity that you and your daughter will love. Some good choices include Monopoly, Sorry, Candyland, Scrabble and a few others. Make a game out of it by having the girls play for fun prizes such as the choice of dessert, new outfits, or an increase in the weekly allowance.

These fun activities do not cost a lot of money and will keep the girls entertained for hours.

Get Your Child into Reading As Early As Possible

As moms we want our children to grow intellectually and one of the best ways to do this is by reading to them and letting them have quiet time for reading by themselves. We live in a heavily saturated digital world filled with blogs, apps and ebooks, and more children are turning to these devices for stimulation. We can be proactive by getting our children excited about books while educating them at the same time. When I was a kid in the 80s, I always went to the library and I was part of summer reading programs. Those programs prepared me well for the upcoming school year. Here are ways we can get our kids into reading.

Practice Reading on Road Trips

Bring some age-appropriate picture books and dictionaries on the road trip and have the kids read them aloud in the car. If they come across words they cannot pronounce or understand, gently explain the words to them and use them in sentences. Another thing you can do is point out words on billboards and buildings to the kids as this helps them associate words with certain objects and places.

Give the Kids Choices of Books

It also helps to offer a variety of options to the kids. If your eight-year-old loves to read comic books, get a few of them and let him read these books. Or if your ten-year-old loves to cook at home, you can visit the library and let her check out a few cookbooks. Then let her pick out which recipes she wants to make and set aside a weekend for preparation of the meals.

Let the Kids See You Read

Parents should lead by example and this is especially the case when instilling a love of books in children. Read your favorite books and the newspaper in front of them and explain to them what the stories are about. This might get them curious and they will probably ask more questions. If they ask questions, tell them the materials where they can get the information from.. This teaches them good research skills.

Set Up a Reading Space for Them

Another idea is to set up a room in the house that is designated for quiet reading time. In the room place a bookcase along with your child's favorite books and healthy snacks. Then for at least 30 minutes each day have your child read one of his books. Once his time ends, ask him questions about what he read and what he learned from it. This builds his critical thinking skills.

Consider Word Search Puzzles

I was introduced to word search puzzles at a young age and even today I find them entertaining. The good thing about these puzzles is that they are each centered around a certain category, and you are learning about new things while finding words. Buy some word search puzzles and let them work on a few each day. After they finish the puzzles, look up those same words in a dictionary with them.

These strategies can boost your child's interest in reading and improve his literacy skills.

How You Can Shape Your Child's Character

As a mom I'm concerned about how well I will mold my daughter's character throughout her childhood. Girls are often made to believe that what matters is how beautiful they look and how charming they can be. While there is nothing wrong with taking care of yourself physically and looking put together, I want to make sure that she grows up to become a woman of godly integrity, self respect and compassion for others. Here are ways we can mold our children's character for good.

Model Godly Character at Home

If you want your children to develop godly character, it's important that you model this behavior before them consistently. Engage the  children in family devotions and prayer, and apply Scriptural principles to your own life so that your children will see how important this is to you. Maintain a humble attitude and be willing to admit when you fall short as a parent. Your example speaks more volumes than the lectures you give.

Mention the "Why" Behind Your Rules

So often as moms we are quick to give our children commands and while we should do this, we need to explain to them why we set certain rules for them to follow. For example, if you tell your son that he is not to spend no more than an hour playing video games on weekdays, mention that you have this rule in place because you're trying to teach him to be productive and well rounded as he grows up. Or if your daughter must save part of her allowance each week, you can tell her that the purpose is to teach her about saving for what she wants.

Give Technology a Break

You won't effectively mold your children's character if you're constantly plugged in to devices. Set aside one or two technology-free days each week as a family and look for more meaningful activities to enjoy together. Some neat ideas for family time include picnics at the park, skating, bowling, quiet reading at home, lunch in the backyard and working on the family scrapbook.

Make Everyday Activities Teachable Moments

Another way to teach your children about strong character is to turn everyday activities into teachable moments. If you and your son are planting a vegetable garden in the backyard, talk about how the planting process works and why growing your own vegetables is healthy and cost-effective in the long term. If the children are watching a documentary about autism, talk with them about showing compassion for those with certain illnesses, animals, the elderly, the deaf and blind and the disabled.

Discipline With Love

Setting boundaries is another important part of molding your child's character. When you discipline your child, make sure that you don't do it in a harsh manner or because you're frustrated with someone else such as your spouse or employer. Before you apply discipline, tell your child the reasons why it is happening and that you still love him. Don't spoil your child so much that he feels he can get away with anything because this will hurt his well being in the future.

Prayers for Children are Important

Sometimes your instruction and discipline rub the children the wrong way and they are not interested in doing the right thing. In this case it would be best to consistently pray that God will turn their hearts and minds towards a desire to live godly lives. By doing this you reduce the stress of parenting and you show that you're trusting God to mold them according to biblical truth. 

Give Them Character Building Experiences

It also helps to give them opportunities to build their character. One idea is to have them prepare gift baskets for children who have to spend extended time in the hospital. You can also send them to elderly relatives' homes for the summer and have the kids help them with housekeeping tasks, special projects and running errands.

These tips will get you started on the track towards character development for your children, and you might see immediate results but you will see them in the future as they become adults.