It seems like the world is going on lockdown, and many of us find ourselves with an extraordinary amount of family time. When life gets canceled, we discover extra hours to spend with family. Let’s use it as a time to focus on legacy.

Lasting families are intentional about creating memories and making the most of unexpected circumstances. Here are a few ideas on how you can make the most of the new hours of family time.

Spend Family Time…Together!

First of all, limit screen time. Screens are the easiest option to entertain your family, and they have their place, but be careful.

Especially with school classes moving online, screens can easily consume all your family’s time and isolate you from each other. But your family can thrive when you turn off the screens during downtime and start focusing on each other.

Without screens, you’ll have to start being creative on other ways to fill time.

Plan special events for the week. Even though you’re all staying home, you can still plan events to look forward to. For example, plan a daddy-daughter dinner, a talent show at the end of the week, a Chinese take-out or pizza night, or a Saturday bike ride.

Even better, invite your kids to create a social distancing bucket list! Ask your kids what special things they want to do as a family during this time. Give each child an equal chance to share their thoughts, and then plan their ideas into your schedule. Even if they pick activities you don’t think you’ll enjoy, go along with it! You might be surprised how much fun you have.

Be Patient With Each Other

As you go, don’t get discouraged if family time is harder than you expected. Time together can create sweet memories, but it also creates more friction.

You are a family of imperfect people cooped up together during a global crisis. You have new schedules, and at the same time your family may have lost stability and a sense of normality. It’s OK to feel the stress!

Be flexible, but still strive to create space for family bonding. And remember Paul’s encouragement:

“[C]lothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”– Col. 3:12b-14

Remember—the closer you are, the more you’ll step on each other’s toes. As you create memories, give your kids an extra dose of compassion, patience and love! Creating a legacy takes time and effort, but it’s worth it!

Photo by Randy Fath on Unsplash

Bill High

Bill is CEO & Founder of Vyne Legacy. He works with families to equip them with tools to build multigenerational legacies, and he teaches givers and financial advisers on transformational biblical generosity. He is the co-author with David Green of Giving It All Away and Getting It All Back Again: The Way of Living Generously.

Published April 3, 2020

Topics: Family Legacy

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