Much of what I know about parenting comes from what I learned from dog training. When Mowgli, my yellow Lab, was a puppy I followed the advice of Carol Benjamin, author of Mother Knows Best: The Natural Way to Train Your Dog. She counsels new dog parents to spend several hours each day physically attached to their puppy with a leash. After a few days of this quality time, the youngster becomes emotionally attached to “mother.” The puppy comes to obey the owner because he wants to please his mother dog.

In the hopes that my kids will listen to me because they want to please me, I have tried various bonding activities.

Try these activities. They work. Sometimes the children do listen.

1. Family Meals
Every parenting expert tells you to share family meals, but it’s hard to find the time for the entire family to eat together. Even though I’m a stay at home mom, juggling various schedules means that we can’t always eat together. That’s OK.

Commit to a family meal 1-2 times per week. Consider getting together for other meals such as a weekend brunch. Keep the meal simple and expect everyone to help. Some fun ideas: Pancake Dinner; Picnic on the Living Room Floor; Reverse Meal (kids cook & serve).

2. Outdoor Time

Commune with nature, get some exercise, and listen to your kids and the birds on a family hike. Start with short trips and build up to more strenuous expeditions. Make sure everyone dresses in layers, stays hydrated, and pack snacks. Keep them motivated by encouraging them to identify the flora and fauna and dole out mini-chocolates as an incentive & sugar rush.

Consider trying other sports such as biking, skiing, rock climbing, white water rafting, or tubing.

3. Parent/Child Project

Some of my husband’s favorite childhood memories involve building model airplanes with his Dad. Forget the trauma of the annual science fair project and pick a project that interests both of you.

You could create a Butterfly Garden or participate in a global project like Star Count or Project FeederWatch.

A young friend is raising egg-producing chickens with his Dad. They built a portable chicken coop to house the hens and documented the entire project. Now they are earning money for their Chicken Tractor Plan on EBay. You never know where a weekend project will lead.

4. Share Books

You’ve heard it a million times - read to your kids! Sure, but it isn’t always easy to find the time to read aloud. We like to relax with a bedtime book, but not every night. Sometimes we prefer to read our own books.

Try sneaking in some reading at other times. We keep magazines & newspapers at the breakfast table. Carry books & magazines everywhere, you never know when you’ll have to wait somewhere. Borrow or buy audio books for long car trips. Our library has a great collection, but now you can also download books on your ipod through services such as audible.com or The Spoken Alexandria Project.

Don’t just read. Talk about it! Share the excitement with a book club. Start a Mother/Daughter Book Club or a Kid’s Book Club. Visit the book’s setting or the author’s home. Have a book theme party.

5. On On One Outings

Occasionally, plan a parent/child outing. It can be as simple as a trip to the ice cream stand or to the pet store. It’s important to have a time to chat without sibling interruptions.

6. Share a Hobby

If your child seems interested in your hobby, give them the chance to try it as well. Don’t push it if they lose interest. If you like to scrapbook, set up your child with his/her own supplies so that you can work together (but apart.) They may drop the project for awhile, but come back to it later.

7. Be a Scouting Volunteer

One of my most rewarding volunteer activities is being a Girl Scout Leader. I get to hang out with my daughter and her friends while we try out new activities or help out in our community. It’s fun, and I get to hear what’s going on in their lives. Now my husband is experiencing a whole new level of parenting, and developing strong organizational skills, as a Cub Scout Den Leader.

8. Coach a Team

You can coach your child’s sports team, but there are other options as well. Last year, I co-coached two Odyssey of the Mind Teams. It was a blast enabling these kid’s creativity, and I learned a lot about what it really means to “think outside the box.” Other team competitions include: Math Counts; Lego League Challenge; and Destination Imagination.

9. Explore Your World

Family travel can be a relaxing time to share interests in a setting devoid of the stresses of your regular schedule. Well, I’ve heard that it can be relaxing. I just don’t travel that way. I like to experience a new environment to it’s fullest potential. Fellow travellers have labelled my pleasant jaunts “death marches.” Hey, different strokes for different folks!

My family actually enjoys the way we travel. We’re never bored because there is always lots of stuff we want to do.

Explore your world at the pace your family enjoys. You don’t even have to go far. Check out your local museums, arboretums, theme parks, odd exhibits, festivals, and fairs.

10. Blog Together

Share your family story through a blog. There are several family network sites including: Famoodle; Familyroutes; and Amiglia. Another option is to create a Family Blog using Blogger’s Team Blog feature.

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