Five Things You Should Know About Family Life:

1.  Family is in serious decline and it’s hurting our kids. Parents are busy and distracted, grandparents live far away, and kids are glued to their computers and cell-phones. Everyone is feeling stressed, disconnected and unhappy, including our children.  They desperately need a strong family foundation to counterbalance all that. But it’s not there. So, it’s no wonder that drug and alcohol abuse continues to rise on college campuses, as well as depression and suicide – the very things we try so hard to protect our children from.

2.  Family doesn’t happen naturally the way it used to when our parents were raising us, when families sat down to dinner every night and talked about their day, when everyone went to grandma and grandpa’s house on Sunday afternoons, when vacations were vacations without TVs, computers, Blackberrys and cell phones.

3.  If we aren’t intentional about doing certain things to build a happyhome, it won’t happen. And we will regret it. In the same way that we now have to pay attention to, and plan for, exercise and healthy eating, we need to pay attention to and plan for a connected, happy family life.

4.  It’s easier than we think.  Most of us waste time and money doing things no one will remember and miss opportunities to do little things that will make all the difference. It’s not about doing more, it’s about doing less and doing the right things.

5.  There are five simple things we can do to build happyhomes and protect our loved ones.  They are the five happyhome habits and they are supported by decades of research and studies on family life.  These habits are like an insurance policy for a great family life. Find out more about the happyhome habits here...