Family Benefits and Boardgames

Have you ever thought about the most important moments of your life? What memories come to the top of your mind? Are they the moments of epiphany where you made the discovery of your lifetime, or are they the moments of financial success? For some of us those may come to the surface, but perhaps a different series of memories flood to the front when we ask this question. Maybe we start to think about the times when the family was gathered together, or the one on one chance we had to spend with someone we love. These are the moments we cant forget.

There are so many families who have let go of the small and important moments and replaced them with infrequent family vacations such as going on luxurious cruises. While these events are very memorable, there needs to be a wholesome amount of togetherness in between. Each family can have its own activities that it enjoys together, but there are common elements that need to be present. For many, board games have filled the gap and accomplished every need that the family has in its time together.

Board games were the weapon of choice in my family for helping us to bond. This was sometimes a huge task since there was certainly a large group of us. We would gather together and get out our favorite game. All of a sudden, everyone became a different person. The parents were laughing and competing with their children, and the children were teaming up with siblings to defeat the parents. We established a different kind of friendship together, and we learned to work together. We also learned to accept defeat graciously since we lost so many times.

When a family learns how to play together, they have learned a skill that is far more powerful in creating a successful family than any employment or schooling. They have learned a way to relieve one anothers stress and they have acquired friends who will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Children learn how to interact with others in competition without being rude and without taking offense. Parents learn to be friends with their children. The experience that a family can have while playing games is entirely unlike the other necessary activities in life.

Because it isnt a necessity, it creates the memories that stand out. Those are the memories we keep for years to come.