Having some quality time with my aunty and mum

When we talk about creating connections with children and family, it is about sharing experiences together. This means making time to meet their needs with empathy and having a relationship with them.

How about providing sometime in your life to connect with extended families? It can be enjoying lunch/brunch during the weekend, or sharing birthdays and special occasions together. By connecting with relatives and extended families, it gives you an opportunity to reconnect with yourself and who you are as a person.

Recently I went back to my home town Penang, and invited my aunty and mum to stroll the street together, so we were checking out the shops, and discussing the food and items on display. Through the conversation, they shared their childhood experiences, and talked about what those streets used to be like…. what some of the shops used to sell, the original vendors, how the streets used to look like, who they used to hang out with while visiting those shops, the places they used to frequent with friends as well as with the family…. and so much more.

It was indeed a memorable trip as I learned about their childhood years and how those places have changed and those that had not changed that much. It was like living through history, but with a sense of connection to the event.

It is about the relationships you have with your family

I appreciate that connecting with your own family needs time, patience and lots of unconditional love. However, by connecting with nature and your immediate family, it helps to reconnect to yourself and find a deeper connection of who you are.

The experiences reconnect to your childhood,  your family, your roots, your sense of self – it is about having relationships with the people that are closest to you, especially for those people who live far away from families. Reconnecting with your own family/tribe is important for your well being, as you are reconnecting to your roots, your core values and your sense of self.

Connections with self and others is important for health and well being

Very often through childhood programming, we learnt to disconnect from ourselves. Basically you learned from young to avoid those feelings of abandonment, such as hurtful feelings, being judged and relying on external approvals for love and attention.

As an adult, it is your responsibility (not others) to reclaim your sense of self, know what is important to you, what you want in life, and, more importantly, who you are.

Make the time, connect physically or via the internet/phone with your extended family, especially for those who live far away from their families.

Have a connected day with your family.