Have family meetings or budget meetings

“Last Sunday, at 6:30 A.M, hubby and I stumbled out of bed, trudged to the kitchen to start the coffee, then started our weekly budget meeting. [...] Those first budget meetings weren’t easy. While we never got into a fight during one — which is very common — there were definitely tense moments. Talking about money forces you to address your deeply held beliefs. It makes you confront issues in your marriage. And it really helped us get to know one another more deeply.”

“A personal story: When we had our first family meeting, our older son Mark was 7 and our younger guy, Matthew, only 2. We sat on the living room carpet; Matthew played with a puzzle. My wife Judith, Mark, and I each had a 3 x 5” index card with two sentence starters: “One thing I like about our family is . . . ” “I would be happier in our family if . . . ” [...] We spent part of the rest of the meeting talking about how I could protect more time to play with the kids, and that did improve.”

“Our first family meeting started when we had two kids, ages 6 and 3. We knew fun must be a component if the kids were to participate willingly. My wife and I announced that Friday would become Fabulous Family Fun Night (or FFFN for short). Much excitement filled the house! On the first FFFN, we popped popcorn, drank hot cocoa, and watched a Veggie Tales video. After the video, we briefly discussed what kind of family we wanted to be. We talked about teamwork and honoring each other. Then we briefly talked about more practical day-to-day issues around the house. [...] It was chaotic and random, but it was a start!”