So you're a bride to be--congratulations! I'm sure you're getting advice in bushel baskets and much unsolicited. Well, here's my two pence. 1998, I was hospitalized with my 4th pregnancy (a little girl who was in a big a hurry to be born). I had an adorable nurse, sweet as could be and so professional, who was getting married. She'd come in an talk with me about her upcoming nuptials.I told her, "don't focus so much on the wedding day that you forget the life to come. Spend time cementing your relationship. Let others worry about cake, flowers and stuff that will be here today and dumpster fodder tomorrow. Concentrate on what will last." We talked of relationship builders and pitfalls. When I left, she whispered "thanks for the pep talk. I feel so much better." I don't know how much help I was, but I do know that advice has worked for me. I tell this to my first-born who's a bride-to-be.
In 25 years as a mom, my best relationship and parenting advice centers on building family bonding habits. These have little to do with money spent and much to do with togetherness. They've seen us through adversity and kept us connected in strife. Life's getting more frenetic and disjointed daily. Take time, now, to grow habits that will see your family through.
* Celebrate uniqueness. You've heard of branding? That's not just a sales term; it applies more aptly to families. A family is more than just the sum of its parts. Each member brings special contributions and together they create something wonderfully, indefinably distinct. Family Glue Recipes: Habits that Cement Relationships
