The importance of family fun time
When I was growing up in Brunei, my parents usually made it a habit for us to have “family game nights” or weekend picnics at the beach. Life in Brunei was generally a lot more laidback than life in Manila and this still holds true today. Manila life is more fast-paced, hectic and, for lack of a better word, STRESSFUL.
Thank God though for the “stress-relievers” my hubby and I have: our two children.
Coming home to them at the end of a day full of traffic jams, full workloads and pollution-filled commutes is like breathing in fresh air and seeing not just one, but dozens of silver linings behind the clouds.
Because of our kids, my husband and I have learned to treasure the times when we are all at home, doing nothing but just enjoying and relishing our time with them.
This is what happened two weekends ago. After a hectic week (weeks, if you count the preparations beforehand!) of working and serving at our community’s week-long anniversary celebrations, hubby for the logistics aspect, and myself with the documentation team, we really enjoyed just staying home, playing and bonding with the kids.
We opted not to go to the mall except to buy much-needed groceries, and had loads of fun having family fun games. I really enjoyed it because it brought back memories of my own family’s fun times, playing Monopoly, Pictionary, Scrabble and Black Jack together in my parents’ bedroom.
In case you’re wondering, we played the following games, all of which we were able to buy in, of all places, Timor Leste, while we were still assigned on mission there (at MUCH cheaper prices than indicated on Amazon, mind you! What a blessing!):
1. Hedbanz
This game is similar to the very popular Pinoy Henyo. Players take turns guessing what the word on the card placed on their headband is.
Even if Tim is only turning five this October, he was able to get how the game is played, and so this has become one of our favourite family games. Even little Rysse likes to join in the fun! Haha!
2. Slap Happy
To play this game, players have to put on big foam “hands” and beat one another at “slapping” the hands on a specific colored circle printed on the mat provided. The color of the circle is determined by the roll of the die, which has differently colored circles on all sides.
Tim loves playing this game, but is a bit of a sore loser whenever his Papa wins consecutively. At least we get to teach him about being a good sport this way, though at times it is quite challenging. Another example of schooling/education in our home.
3. Checkers
I don’t think I need to explain how this game is played. It’s a classic game that families will surely enjoy playing, and they need not pay much since a set of checkers is really quite inexpensive these days.
Of course, the games listed above are not the only things families can do to have fun together. In our home, even just eating chips (yes, we let our kids eat chips sometimes! Hehe) and drinking juice together can be a time for bonding and fun.
Remember, what is important is everyone enjoys everyone else’s company. These perfect moments will be your and your kids’ pabaon or legacy, if you’d like to call it that, to treasure, for generations to come.
P.S.
If your family is looking for a way to have a fun time together, get a bit of exercise, and help underprivileged kids, why not sign up for the ANCOP Global Walk 2011? On August 21, 2011, between 5am to 8am, families and individuals will be walking for a cause and raising funds for scholars at the SM Mall of Asia grounds.
Here is one of the videos promoting it:
And the flyers too:
For more information, please “Like” ANCOP Global Walk’s Facebook page or go to the event page on Facebook. You can also check out my posts about it here and here. Hope to see you there!
