Family lifestyle refers to a set of daily practices that define a household’s life, such as nutrition, exercise, healthcare, and relationships.
Belonging to a family means creating security, trust, and overall well-being for everyone involved.
Strong, happy families embrace and accept each member’s differences as elements that add depth and variety to life.
The Creative Family
Sometimes it can be easy to be overwhelmed by daily responsibilities and pressures, but this book offers hope to families seeking joy and balance through creative practices at home. Utilizing simple art supplies, household items, and natural materials, this author presents practical ideas on creating happy homes while encouraging family connection and respect for nature.
Lifestyle refers to domain-general dimensions of family social functioning (cohesion, flexibility, and communication), as well as domain-specific factors related to creativity: family climate for creativity (encouragement to experience novelty and variety, support of perseverance in creative efforts and motivation for fantasizing) [1]. While numerous studies have established how caregivers’ general self-image influences parenting styles and family climate, little is known about how creative self-image translates into everyday practice and intentional efforts made by parents in nurturing children’s creativity [2.].
Amanda Blake Soule is known for her popular blog SouleMama and has dedicated herself to encouraging creative exploration and family bonding. She and her husband reside in Western Maine with five children and an animal collection they are slowly restoring in an 1840s farmhouse they recently purchased. Amanda writes from her passion for natural living and appreciation of our planet; additionally, she’s authoring Taproot magazine, which covers family, food, craft, and more!
The Balanced Family
One of the critical components of family life is striking a balance between work and home life, yet many dual-earner families struggle with this task. There are specific key strategies that may help ensure more balance in their lifestyles.
An ideal starting point is scheduling regular quality time with your children, whether quick interactions throughout the week or longer, planned weekend visits. Open and honest communication is critical to maintaining family balance; make sure to have at least one group meeting per week where issues can be discussed openly – this might involve reviewing schoolwork, discussing any behavioral concerns, and notifying kids who have done what chores. Furthermore, creating systems that reward good work while creating natural consequences when noncompliance arises can help promote a more balanced lifestyle.
Remind yourselves that the family unit is a team, and everyone must play their role within it, even if this means making tough choices that could require one daughter’s request being put aside in favor of what would ultimately result in a smoother family life.
The Family with Children
Families under this classification tend to include two married parents and one or more children. This was once prevalent post-World War II but has since declined as families embrace other forms of cohabitation.
Children benefit significantly from living within an organized, predictable family life during challenging times or transitions. Communicating effectively allows families to celebrate when times are good while sharing any issues to work through together – this helps children learn how to solve their problems in healthy and positive ways.
Some couples opt out of having children altogether; this doesn’t make them less of a family unit. According to studies, non-parents report greater satisfaction with life than parents.