What are you doing to help strengthen your family and make it successful?

Derek answered…

We are taught that the role of the a father in the family is to be a provider and a protector for the rest of his family. That certainly means that I put food on the table, and protect them from the dangers of the outside world. But it also means that I must protect them from the dangers that could potentially come into the home as well.
Not all dangers are physical. Movies, Games, Images that could potentially damage young children emotionally and everyone spiritually are becoming a more regular part of television programming, movies, and computer games. I must protect my family from these things, first and foremost by not bringing them in myself, but also by setting a clear standard so that they will not creep in as the children get older.
My boys look to me for an example and for approval. I love them and support and encourage the good things that they do and encourage them to improve the things that they do not so well.
Likewise, my wife often needs help to be successful in her role in nurturing the children. I do what I can around the house to free her up to be able to fulfill her role more effectively.

Jacob answered…

I am a father of two little children. I am amazed at the heightened level of stress that these two little angels add to my wife's daily life. I am currently going to my doctorate program full time and working full time and pray for her while I am too often away. Also, each early morning when I leave and each late evening when I return we say a prayer together as a family, then another prayer just us two, husband and wife, and then another prayer individually. I can say with certainty that this simple act of praying "always" (as often as we can) has given us more than enough strength to handle such an amount of stress. By the way, we also read the Book of Mormon and the Bible as a family in our very limited free time. Between praying and reading the scriptures we feel literally strength coming from the Holy Ghost giving us patience beyond our own abilities. There is a significant difference in the harmony of our home when at times we forget to do these things leaving us in shorter tempers and leaving us to our own abilities, which is not sufficient for our children's needs.

Johnny answered…

I have helped my family by setting a good example in and out of the home. Just because you are Mormon doesn't mean you need to go around shouting it out. If you are thoughful and caring towards everybody you meet, a light shines from you. Others want to be like you and understand why you don't curse or get angry. It opens up a window to discuss the church and how wonderful your life has become due to it. Prayer in and out of the home is a huge part of stength. Nothing is stronger than love and I have found love in abundace for Heavenly Father and my family. Without the true church in my life, I would be lost.

Tom answered…

Our family has Family Home Evening every Monday night. During the evening we have a special dinner, then a spiritual lesson, sing songs, play games, organize our family calendar for the week, and have a special dessert. Having this dedicated family time gives us the opportunity to know what is happening in each others lives and to slow down and talk. The family time also allows us to relate spirtual concepts to practical situations that happen in our lives. We notice an increased measure of the Spirit in our home as we have Family Home Evening.

Jason answered…

One of the things that we are trying to do to strengthen our families is incorporate more of the teachings of Jesus Christ in our home. One of these is charity. Mormons believe that Charity is the "the pure love of Christ" or unconditional love. It is taking the time to care about others more than yourself and serve them.
One story that I have that illustrates this point was told to me by one of my church leader as a young teenager. This church leader, Howard, was one of the kindest people that I have ever met. He was soft spoken and gentle in dealing with other. On one occasion when speaking to a group of church members he told the following story.
Howard was at one of our church's Temples. He was inside the changing room and went over to a mirror to put his tie on. When he got to the mirror there was already an elderly gentleman trying to put on his shirt so Howard would have to wait for him to put his tie on. After the gentleman fumbled with his shirt buttons a few times Howard became impatient and hurried across the room to another mirror. He explained how upset he was because this elderly gentleman had been so inconsiderate to make him wait for so long. From the corner of his eye he saw another man walk up to the elderly gentleman in front of the mirror and ask him if he could help him with his shirt. With deep appreciation the elderly gentleman replied "Yes, thank you. I have special shirts with special buttons because I have no fingers. When I am tired it becomes more difficult to button my shirt. I am a little tired today so really appreciate your help. Needless to say Howard felt pretty awful.
By taking the time to care about the needs of others the man in changing room was able to help someone in need. Just think about how much that must have meant to the Elder Gentleman. We can do the same thing in our families. Taking the time to do small acts of kindness can bring so much more happiness and peace in our homes and bring us closer together as a family. 

Chelle answered…

We have regular family home evenings - once a week. We teach a lesson about the gospel to our children, and then we sing together. We play games and enjoy quality time together.

We have family prayer together every day and this helps our young children to learn, not only how to pray, but to build faith in their Heavenly Father & Jesus Christ.

Everyday we tell each member of our family that we love them - and we mean it! :

We say 'sorry' if we have upset each other.

Mark answered…

Success in family comes through love and spending time together. Life is busy and it is so easy to get caught up in the routines. The best routine to be caught in is spending time with your family. Our family loves to play together, read together, travel together, and just about anything else.

Ben answered…

There are several activities we do as a family to strengthen each other. We pray together. We study the scriptures together. We play together. We go on hikes, attend theater, watch movies, and find other ways to spend time. I know that if I spend time with my boys and teach them by example how to live their lives, that they will grow a similar knowledge of our Heavenly Father on their own when they are old enough. Our church also offers practical teachings that keep our family strong. I know that following these teachings has led to a very happy life.

Scott Christensen answered…

We were blessed with Children with Special needs. We struggle every day to teach our children about the gospel in a way they will understand. We hold Family Home Evenings each week. We also make sure we all eat around the dinner table and everyone has to say one thing that was good and bad about their day, along with something funny that was funny. Althought this seems simple, it has made a huge difference to our son with Autism. We ensure we always talk about what was taught during Primary and Sacrament meetings. It is not always easy, but in the end it will be worth it.

Nathan J. answered…

My wife and I are separated and working toward divorce. It has been a challenge to strengthen my family in recent months. Yet, Heavenly Father has helped me find ideas that have helped. I have kept daily traditions going that give the children a feeling of security. We read together every night before bed and often I answer their questions about the changes in our family. We pray as often as we can. We spend lots of time doing things that the kids think are fun. We read a children's version of the Book of Mormon each evening after dinner. I spend lots of time listening and answering questions.

Eric answered…

I have some wonderful children, and my biggest goal in life is to make sure that they become productive members of society. In every way possible, I try to teach them correct principles and more important, teach them by living worthily so they can see my example.

Sue answered…

Being a stay at home mom gave me the chance to talk with my kids when they wanted to talk, and to listen in and avert dangers as they reared up. Most kids will open up when they are ready, but if you are not there you lose that opportunity to teach and guide them. Some might say once your children are raised that you are done! For me we are just on a roll. While the work of discipline and the daily tasks of teaching my grandchildren belong to their parents I feel I can still do much to strengthen my family. I look for opportunities to lift the load from their parents in some way, for instance it is easy for me after teaching my early morning class to run across the road to my daughters house and drive the older children to school each morning giving her more time with the younger ones. We have frequent sleep overs and look for fun things to do with our grandchildren so they enjoy being with us. Just this last Friday night it was a cold winter night and we were having the boys come for a sleepover so we pitched a tent in the living room, lit a fire in the fireplace and roasted marshmallows. We kept the lights out and armed them with flashlights and spent a wonderful evening telling them stories and listening to theirs and "camping" in the living room. They LOVE hearing stories about when we grew up. We have a "Grandma Getaway" each year where we spend time together and find fun activities to fill our days, and a "Grandparent Christmas Sleepover" Where we serve a candlight dinner on a beautiful table and play games we used to play with our parents when we were young. In the morning we decorate cookies and gingerbread houses and trains. Time with our children and grandchildren has always been a priority and making the time we spend together special goes a long way in keeping communication lines open thus strengthening our family.

Kira answered…

My family is very young. My husband and I are in our 20's and our children are both under the age of 2. Sometimes I struggle thinking of ways to bond as a family or teach our children important things at such a young age. The things that we have found to strengthen our family are some very basic things.
We eat dinner together every night. Sometimes this consists of kids throwing food at the walls, but it is always a good time to sit and talk about our day.
Every Monday night, we have "Family Night". This is something that all Mormons are told to do to strengthen their families. We sing a song, have a lesson, say a prayer and usually eat something yummy - Family night can be anything you want it to be, but you should be with your family. Sometimes family night is as simple as going to get ice cream together as a family.
My husband and I make sure to still go on dates. These dates are not usually very fancy or expensive. But it is nice to just go be together and keep our love for each other strong by still dating.
We pray together as a family. Our little boy is so cute, he started folding his arms for prayers all on his own when he was around 14 months old. He knows that prayer time is a time to be quiet. I believe that there is nothing that strengthens a family more than asking God to watch over our family, help us to get along, bless us with safety and with love. I love hearing my husband thank God for me and for our children. Hearing that we are grateful for one another strengthens us.

Jeff answered…

We have regular family prayer we eat dinner together we have regular Family Home Evening we love to watch movies together we do shows together.

Burke answered…

We work to strengthen our family by praying together, attending church, reading the scriptures and making Sunday (the Sabbath) different from every other day.

Ryan answered…

As parents of four boys, my wife and I are very aware of the need to constantly strengthen and protect our family against negative influences that are found in the world today. We strive to make our hope a "haven" from the world. A place that our kids can feel safe. We have found that having family prayer and by reading the scriptures together helps bring the spirit into our home. Also we seek to provide good family activities that our kids enjoy and want to participate in.

We asked our boys what rules we should have in our house and gave them the opportunity to help come up with ideas that would keep the spirit in our home. Some of these rules include: the types of movies and shows we watch, the amount of computer time allowed each day and what they have to do to earn that time, the type of games allowed and when they can be played. We found by working together as a family it makes it easier for us are parents to enforce the rules our kids help create.

Shawntae answered…

To help strengthen my family I have tried to make learning a priority; both in secular and spiritual things. My children are 4, 3 and 1 so we do a lot of reading, letter games, and art projects. I feel that teaching my children to love learning and to have fun learning at a young age is one of the most important things I can teach them. They will need to learn their entire lives and I want them to develop a love and a good, happy attitude surrounding it.
Just as important as secular learning is that of spiritual learning. Every morning while they eat breakfast I read scripture stories to them. We pray as a family to start and end our day as well as for meals. I try to relate any experience or situation that I can to either spiritual principles or scriptural stories. As a family we memorize a new family scripture each month. I want them to love the gospel and to know its teachings so it can bless their lives.

Through the learning of both of these areas I hope my family will be able to be successful in life, because they have been taught to love to learn, and they will have developed a strong spiritual sense that can guide them to make the best choices that will bring them the most happiness.

Brittany answered…

My children are still young so part of strengthening our family for me includes teaching them to live the gospel from a young age. We talk about how Jesus would like us to treat one another kindly, serve those around us, and make happy choices.

We have family prayer morning and night and family scripture study before my husband leaves for med school each morning. Monday nights are reserved in our family as a family night. We gather together and teach gospel principles, sing and pray together. Of course we always include a treat at the end. I love how easy it is to please a four year old and one year old. Last week we had otter pops and it was a huge success.

Music has been an important part of my own growth in the gospel so I try to expose my children to music as much as possible. Even though I really can't sing at all, I sing to my children every night before bed. We sing songs about the temple, being a child of God, and how our family can be together forever. In the world we live in now, I really feel like I need to arm my children with as much strength and testimony as possible, even from a young age.  

Ty answered…

This church has asked us as families to set apart one night a week to be with family. We call it Family Home Evening. My parents were divorced and remarried. Growing up my family got together nearly every Monday night and my step-brothers also came. It was in this setting that we grew as a family and became very close. Today I am grown and have a family of my own but my step-brothers and I are still very close and do many things as a family. I know that if we had not gotten together for Family Home Evening I would not have the relationship that I do with my step-brothers.

David Ashby answered…

 One of the greatest things I do to strengthen my family is spending time together. As a family we set aside time on a regular basis to spend time together. We learn about the gospel of Jesus Christ together as a family and also spend time just doing things we enjoy. Playing games together, taking walks, working in the yard, watching a movie, any wholesome activity that we can do together. I also try to spend time with each one of my children individually and of course my wife. Our time is our most precious commodity and by spending it with our family we show what is really important to us. When we first set aside time for spending together, Mormons call is family home evening, it was a little difficult getting everyone on board and participating but as we tried to do our best it got easier and know it is just expected and part of our family's routine. Spending time together brings us closer together as a family and makes it easier when difficult times arrived to talk things out and work through problems.

Abby answered…

Every day I try to live the teachings of the Church and be the best person that I can possibly be. Sometimes I fail at doing so but I always pick myself up and try again the next day.

Since a few of my family members no longer practice the teachings of the church, religious conversations can get very intense and feelings can get hurt, so living by example is the best way for me to strengthen my family.

My husband and I don't have kids, but we still hold a simple family home evening once a week where we read an article out of the church magazines or discuss a church topic. We also try to read the scriptures and pray together before we go to bed.

When I simply live the teachings of the Gospel I have been able to see the amazing impact it has had on those around me.

Rhett answered…

Raising five children is difficult, but I know as I put my trust in the Lord and pray to my heavenly Father each day, He will strengthen my family to overcome the evils of the world and help my children to be better members of society and the church.

Barbara answered…

With the challenges that exist in our world today, raising two teenagers can be hard. To help strengthen our family we attend church regularly. In our home we have a family prayer both in the morning before my children leave for school, and in the evening right before bedtime. Every Monday we try to have Family Home Evening. Quite often this involves getting together and singing some hymns, having a prayer together, sharing some scriptures and a gospel lesson; sometimes we will play games together. I like when my children give the lesson, they really do a super job. My children also participate in early morning seminary. This is a religious class they participate in Monday through Friday right before high school starts. It's hard to get up so early, but they notice a difference in their day just by attending seminary. In seminary my children study the scriptures in great detail. My husband and I try to attend the temple at least once a month. Temple attendance helps me actually to be more spiritually in tune with the needs my family may have. One last thing we try to do is to read scriptures together as a family. We try to read a chapter together every day, although our consistency is not as good as we would like. All these efforts have paid off for my family in that I think it has strengthened each of us.

Joyce answered…

I am the mother of a small child. He doesn't talk yet, so communication can sometimes be stressful. Right now we have started having nightly family prayers with our son. He doesn't understand how to be reverent or sit still, but he sees us pray and can and does learn from our example.  

Jay answered…

I try to spend time each day with them. I try to be respectful and loving. We read scripture together, sing together, and pray together. I try to teach my kids about everything. I let them know what is right and wrong without condemning them for their mistakes.

Spencer answered…

I am sure that whatever I am doing, my wife is doing it better. That said, I really try to set a good example for my children by working to live according to the things that I am teaching them. I try hard not to be hypocritical, but I sometimes am. However, I try to apologize when I am short or unkind and admit when I am wrong (and I often am wrong). I tell my children that I love them and hug and kiss them often. We pray together, we work together, and we play together. I pray for my family. I let my children know how much I love their mother by my words and my deeds. I do the best that I can. Ultimately, I am imperfect and my family is far from perfect, but we love one another and we love God - and that makes all the difference.

Brad answered…

The biggest impact I can have on building a strong family, as a father of a young family, is to spend time with my kids. Often I hear older fathers at work comment on how they really weren't that involved with their kids until they were older. That's when all the fun begins, right? Sport leagues, thrill rides, awesome movies. But I try to be different. I make a conscious effort to play with my kids when I'm at home, as tedious or simple as it may be. Even though TV and Movies do a great job of keeping them entertained, I want them to know I care, and that I love them. It also gives me an opportunity to teach them correct principles, like honesty, integrity, sharing, kindness, helpfulness, etc. And where did I learn about these principles? Well, I learned them at home and I continually learn about them at church. I pray that this foundation of love I'm building now, will help keep the family close and strong when my kids grow into teenagers and start making their own decisions. I hope they will remember that their father loves them, and taught them well.  

Eric answered…

As the oldest of four kids, I have a great opportunity to be an example to the rest of my family. My siblings are closely watching the way I treat others, the way I think, what I say, and even how often I pray. It's benefitted all of us, since it keeps me in line and helps our whole family be successful and happy.

Michael answered…

"Uneasy Rests The Head That Wears The Crown" Those Are Some Words Attributed To Queen Victoria. And That Is How I Live. I Strive To Be An Example And Place Myself NOT HIGHER, BUT NEXT TO My Family Members. I Build Them And Try To Pick Them Up When They Falter. I Understand That WE ARE ALL Sons And Daughters Of A Heavenly Father. I Pray So That My Shoulders Can Be Broadened And My Heart Strong So That I Can ALWAYS Help. I Push Hard To Respect And Unconditionally Love All Of My Brothers And Sisters.All My Family.As A Prophet of God Named David O Mckay Once Said "No Amount Of Success Can Ever Compensate For Failure In The Home" Im A Strong Believer That Success Is Not A Plateau Or Destination, But Rather A Journey. Its Something We Travel To And Grown Into. I Personally Find Joy And Excitement In Knowing That This Perfect Gospel Of Jesus Christ Restored On The Earth Is Centered On Our Families. And If We But Follow Its Precepts And Principles. We Will Come Closer To Our Heavenly Father.

Alexis answered…

My family is not a traditional one. This is my husband's third marriage and it is important to us to make sure that things are right so that it will not end like previous ones. We do things much differently than before. We believe the same things, we hope for the same things and we plan and discuss our goals for the future. We try to follow God's plan and not try to make it about us. The important thing is knowing what our Heavenly Father want's us to do. That is how we ended up moving 1000 miles away from our family and our home, to start a new life. It certainly wasn't something we would have chosen, but as we have followed the spiritual promptings to move, our family has been blessed and strengthened. We are able to teach our daughter about the gospel, in our home, at church and in the community. She learns how to live her life the way she should through righteous examples in the church and in the community. She meets friends who are good people, but are not of our faith and she knows the difference between good friends and bad. It doesn't matter what faith they are, so long as they have the same values and standards as her. This is important to her and to us.
We find that when we pray together as a family, we are stronger and happier. When we forget to, there is more contention in our home or there is more chaos and disobedience. When we pray and read our scriptures too (the Bible and the Book of Mormon), we are strengthened even more with the power of God. We have more strength to choose the right and not get angry with one another. I know when we forget to read the scriptures or don't have time, things are harder for us and I get more irritable with my family. It helps me to be more patient when I am doing the daily things necessary to strengthen our family. The temptations of Satan are very real and present in our life, it is important for my family to do all in our power to protect against those temptations by living righteously.

Brent answered…

We attend Church every Sunday and try to get together as a family for occasions such as birthdays and Holidays. We pray together daily as husband and wife and always remember our children and grandchildren in our prayers.

Joan Gayle answered…

We have a Family Reunion every year. This year is our 21st annual reunion for our 4 children, 25 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren.

Andrew answered…

We try to have some family time set aside each week, which is called Family Home Evening. We have a short gospel lesson our daughter can digest, a game or activity (favorite games include Uno and Trouble), and sometimes finish with a treat.

I also try to have a father-daughter interview once a month, where we catch up on how things are going. We try to come away with a goal to work on in the next month.

As parents, we're going to start to meet once a week to specifically talk about how things are going, to calendar and plan, and talk about ways we can improve as spouses and parents.

Kristi answered…

Life is filled with so many activities whether it be work, school, sports, or church so it is extremely important that we spend time with our families. We make it a point to sit down at the table every night to eat dinner as a family. We do not have the TV on and try to avoid interruptions (i.e. phone calls, text messages, etc) so that we can spend our dinner time talking with eachother about the events of our day. My husband and I use this time as an opportunity to point out positive things our boys have done throughout the day and also provides us with the chance to teach our kids lessons. We all really enjoy this time spent with one another.

Marlene answered…

It was a late Saturday afternoon when our family set out for the High School to launch our new rocket, excited to show our little kids the wonders of rockets, shooting up so high and coming back down with a parachute. Our seven kids ranged in age from 9 down to our baby in a stroller. We loaded into our new rocket the strongest rocket engine and started the countdown: 10, 9, 8..BLAST OFF! That rocket immediately took off so fast—it was quickly out of sight! It must have come down, but we hardly knew where! Our first launch and our rocket was lost!! It was gradually getting dark, so we all searched thoroughly everywhere we could think of. As time went by,I remember gathering our kids and having a prayer to help us find it. Then it got too dark and we reluctantly started for home, sad to leave our rocket behind.

The next day was Sunday, and we went to the same area to visit Grandparents. We were sorely tempted to just stop by the high school and look again for our rocket, this time in full light. No, we decided, it would be breaking the Sabbath. So we didn't stop.

That night, it stormed and I remember thinking of our rocket as I heard the fierce winds. Oh no! What would happen to it in this weather?

Monday night, right after Dad’s work, we once again drove to the high school. This time, it didn’t take too long and there was the rocket under a large tree in a corridor between buildings, where we had looked many times! We inserted a not-so-powerful engine this time, and shot off the rocket for several good launches, and had the fun family time we’d hoped for before.

As we look back at the whole incident, we realize: It was probably that storm on Sunday night that blew our rocket out of that tree. If we’d have gone looking that day, Sunday, we’d have not seen it. We are certain that it was a blessing for our obedience in keeping the Sabbath, that our rocket was knocked down for us. More than our rocket, we were grateful for the lesson that it taught our family.

Kara answered…

Each day in our family we read the scriptures with our kids before we put them to bed. We are hoping to establish a life-long habit of daily study and to help our kids be familiar with the stories of the Book of Mormon. We have them each "read" a verse by repeating the words after us. We have family prayer at night before bed. We also have Family Home Evening every Monday night where as a family we pray, sing songs, discuss the calendar for the week, have a lesson about a gospel principle or story (it's pretty simple - our kids are little!) and of course a few games. Our kids look forward to Family Home Evening every week. I try to be a good example so my kids know that prayer, scriptures, temples and church attendance are important to me. I feel it is important to spend quality time together as a family having fun. We like to go on walks, bike rides, play at the park, and other outdoor activities in our neighborhood.

Ron answered…

I try to strengthen my family by spending time with them. We have family dinner everyday, and I always take time when I get home from school to play with my daughter before she goes to bed. We also have a family home evening every Monday. For our home evening, we have a gospel lesson, an activity, and a treat together. Every day of the week I study the scriptures and pray with my family. All these activities bring us closer together and closer to the Lord as a family.  

Jared answered…

I love my wife. She is wonderful. We are expecting our first child and are so excited. We want our marriage to succeed. One way we do this is by spending as much time together as we can. She is my best friend, and companion in every sense of the word. We worship together, we work on projects together. Sometimes she will make jewelry while I paint. We even sometimes paint together.
One thing that ties us together is common faith. We worship together, have faith in Jesus Christ, and a commitment to God and to each other. We were married in the Washington DC temple, and made sacred promises to each other and to God. If we are true to these promises, we are promised to stay together even after death. This gives us a greater desire to work through any problems. We love each other, and work on it every day.

Jessica Leigh Bernard answered…

1. trying to get custody back of my oldest son
2. prayer, repentance, scripture reading
3. trying to get a temple recommend
4. I had my first priesthood blessing the other day... in my home.
5. Trying to bring in more income and being somewhat successful in that.

David answered…

Life can be a challenge for all of us. In an effort to help our children be prepared for the challenges they will face, our family has made an effort to read the scriptures each morning. We all get up and read one section of the scriptures, then have a prayer together. This has been a great blessing to me personally, and I believe it has strengthened our children as well. We are learning the stories from the scriptures and realize that people have faced tough times, but that if we rely on God and work hard, we can overcome. I also feel a strength that helps as I begin each day reading from the scriptures. It helps me to make better choices and to think more about what things are really important in my life.

Evan answered…

I am helping to strengthen my family by encouraging my wife and i to read everyday from the Book of Mormon. It has brought us closer and brought us true happiness. We also attend church every Sunday. A we worship every Sunday we learn how to be better people and better husband and wives. I love being able to come closer as a family and this is being done by simply doing these teo things and more.

Chelsea answered…

My husband and I try to forgive each other and apologize quickly. We try not to hold any grudges. We also try to think of the other before our selves. We realized that a lot of problems arise from selfishness. We serve each other little things like doing the dishes when it's not our turn help bring happiness into our home.
We also read from the scriptures everyday, and pray together before we go to bed. This helps bring the spirit into our home.

Logan answered…

How can we make our families and the world a better place? "Love one another as I have loved you." I want to issue a challenge to the world. I think that the one sure way to make the world a better place to live in, is to love your neighbor. So my challenge is this, every day take five minutes, twenty minutes, an hour, or whatever amount of time you can spare, and do something nice for somebody else. Just because. Imagine the love that would be spread around the world, imagine how happy the world would be, if everybody only spent five minutes doing a favor for someone else.

Niki answered…

I am simply communicating with them. A few years ago, my sisters and I would never get along. There were often heated contentions and heart-broken parents. It drove me away from the home. I rebelled and as I was falling away from my family, i was falling away from my faith. One night I was in my room, trying to feel the spirit because I realized that key factor was missing from my life. I couldn't feel anything so I called my sister because I didn't know what else to do. I confessed my wrong-doings and she did nothing but listen and accept me. We grew so much closer because I opened up to her. I know satan wanted me to feel excluded from the family but because I resisted his influences i have been able to have the best times with my family and even though my sister has been at college and my other sister is on a mission I know we'll always be there for each other and love one another. After all, families are forever.

Emma Michelle answered…

Every night, we sit down and eat dinner as a family. When it is time for bed, we say family prayer, a family cheer, and have a big group hug.

Mari, Im a Mormon. answered…

I encouraged my family to have our family daily scriptures study every morning. Reading together the words of God has strenghtened our faith and family relationships. Together we learned values that we could apply in our personal life and together we remind each other about our commitment to avoid behaviors and attitudes that can withdraw the spirit of peace and love in the home. Everyone in the family is working diligently how to apply the things we have learned in our scriptures study.

Jia Hu answered…

Live in the gospel~

Ben answered…

We hold what is called 'family home evening' it is a way for us to teach them more principles of the gospel and strengthen our family with a stronger foundation built on Jesus Christ.

Elise, "wife, mom, and student." answered…

In our home we try to make living the gospel of Jesus Christ an everyday thing. So we read our scriptures together, and pray daily as a family. We do a morning devotional on weekdays before heading off to school and work, with a short scripture and thought and prayer. We also devote one night a week to spend time together as a family. That night one person shares a lesson based on a teaching of Jesus Christ and we usually have some kind of activity such as a game. These things have helped to bring our family closer together and more successful. 

Mark answered…

I am currently not married and do not have a family of my own. I am however trying to make myself the type of man that I hope to be for my future wife and children. I am trying to develop habits right now that I can teach to my children in the future. God has given us the perfect way to establish guidelines for our families. He teaches us these things through his prophets which are his mouthpieces on the earth. I don't know everything that is going to happen to me right now with my future family, but what I do know is that I have faith in the Lord that he is going to take care of me because I am going to try and do all that I can to follow him. Even though I do not know exactly 100% of what is happening, I am going to act upon his teaches that he has given me, and know that it is going to work out for the best.

Robert answered…

My family is quite close. I attribute this to several things. We spend time together on a regular basis. This includes attendance at worship services, regular weekday activities (including our dedicated Monday evening "Family Night"), and annual vacations. These activities have built a reservoir of shared experiences which we dip into with laughter and fond memories. Our traditions have built a strong sense of identity which is visible even to those outside our family, such as our love for chocolate.

Tawnya answered…

The most important thing that we do as a family is to share time together. There are a few ways that we do this: 1) family home evening - most Monday nights, we take turns preparing a gospel lesson, a game and a snack to share; 2) traveling and camping - we love to go camping together, and when I travel for work, I try to bring at least one family member with me; 3) eating dinner together - most nights, we eat dinner together, sharing what we did while we were apart; and 4) talking - we talk about EVERYTHING! These things have really has helped our family to be close and it has helped our children to know that they are valued.

Gladys answered…

I help strengthen my family by encouraging them to keep a daily schedule which includes Jesus Christ. We study the scriptures, pray, and discuss our daily tasks. We discuss our obstacles and how we can support each other. The simplest things you can do for others, show you care. We have family/friends who are not members and support them in anyway we can. 

Liza answered…

I truly believe that having family time is very important. We have a family prayer each night. Open communication works too. Someone very close to my heart gave me great advice, "Never go to bed angry at eachother" make a a point to say I Love you always. We are not perfect trust me. But that's why we are here to learn and grow :)

Dean answered…

My wife and I are trying to read the scriptures regularly with our children and help them find real life application for what the scriptures teach.

Tami answered…

There are a lot of things that can help build a family and make it successful. Some of those include having family home evening, scripture study, family prayer, doing things together, eating together each night, and building each other up through various experiences. We try our best to do these things, and we are not always successful. However, I am finding that the single most important thing we do as a family is listen to each other and have patience when we are struggling.

For me, patience is not a strong area in my life. I have very little kids and they can be frustrating. Sometimes I forget to show them that even though I am frustrated or they did something wrong, I still love them. However, recently I have watched as some of my relatives have struggled in their relationships. It has caused much introspection for me as to how I treat others, particularly those I love the most. So I began reading a lot. Some from the scriptures and conference talks on humility and patience and love. I have also looked at various blogs from people who seem to have a better perspective on families than I do. Those daily reminders have drastically improved my relationships in the last few weeks with my kids.

When we make a conscious effort to work at whatever part of our family is struggling and seek to include Heavenly Father in that process, the blessings we receive cannot be numbered. It is not perfect, and it is never intended to be that way, but through bits of inspiration we can pick up on that vision that our Heavenly Father has for His children.

Kirk answered…

My wife and I pray together daily. We eat meals together often. We hold Family Home Evening on Monday nights. Once a month, we have an extended Family Home Evening with my parents and extended family members who live in the area. We attend Church together weekly. We go to the Temple together regularly. We participate together in common interests such as politics and the fine arts. All of our children have moved away from home, so we stay in touch with letters, emails, phone calls, texts and web conferencing. We take family vacations together. We send postcards and small gifts to our grandchildren frequently. My sister and my wife each edit monthly family newsletters. Each summer, we gather the clan at an elaborate 2 day family reunion. We try to attend as many baby blessings, baptisms, Eagle Scout courts of honor, mission farewells, mission homecomings, weddings and wedding anniversary celebrations as our schedule permits. We participate in family history research and have helped publish a number of biographies. We have traveled to places such as Denmark and New Zealand that are important in our family heritage. We have organized a handful of very large family reunions involving everyone who descends from a common ancestor.

Meri! answered…

I had a civil marriage. My husband and I are still working at becoming more active in church than just being a Sunday Christian. With that I know I hold a great responsibility to keep myself motivated and doing what I know Jesus would want me to do. I could just sit around and have my husband lead, but unfortunately I am his leader. It can be tough at times because I want to be directed, but this is also my chance to prove my faith and be an example to the love of my life. I believe all the work I put in to strengthening my relationship with God will strengthen my family as a result and prepare us for an eternal marriage.

Desiree answered…

 My husband and I have currently rededicated ouselves to daily family scripture study and family prayers morning at night. We have renewed our efforts to keep our family spiritually nourished to help us all combat the firey darts of the adversary that we are bombarded with on a daily basis

Marie answered…

I have found the best things I can do to strengthen my family is to; pray together, eat together, have Family Home Evening together (our family gathers every Monday night and we play, eat yummy treats, and learn more about the Gospel), and daily scripture study. Our family has a goal to read the scriptures everyday, and not miss a day for any reason for 100 days (and finish reading The Book of Mormon during this time). As of this writing we just finished day 72, and read Ether 9. Over the past 72 days our family has grown stronger, and I have felt our faith become better united in this common goal

Jay answered…

We try to read from the scriptures every day together, pray together as a family and get to know and enjoy each other's company through family activities at least one night a week (Family Home Evening).

Lainey. answered…

Although many of the members of my family are not members of the church, I do my best to strengthen us by setting an example. I have faith that if I continue to attend church, pay tithing, and be steadfast in keeping my standards, they will come to recognize its greatness and truth. I will also marry a worthy young man and raise my family in the church, praying continually for patience and determination to bring my children up in a peaceful and spiritual home that will prepare them to be "a light unto the nations" (D&C 115:5).

Charles answered…

One of the things that attracted me to the church was that from the beginning I saw how many happy families gave credit to the gospel of Jesus Christ and membership in this church for their happiness. By applying the same principles I have been able to promote peace and harmony in a normally contentious and argumentative family.

Blair answered…

We have Family Home Evening at least once a week where we can share testimonies, play games, and read our scriptures as a family. We aren't perfect at it, but it has helped us to be less stressed out during the week and to appreciate time we get to spend together. We also make sure that we say I love you AT LEAST once a day.

Cody answered…

I am trying to be like Jesus Christ in everything I do. Myself or my mother conducts family home evening every Monday. We sing, pray, have a lesson and do acivities together as a family. On Wednesdays I take the kids to church where they do fun activities and make friends. When I feel someone is having a tough time or struggling with something, I give them advice and tell them to pray for help.

David answered…

My wife and I try to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ in our interactions with our children. We have taught them the importance of daily scripture study and prayer, and encourage them to take their concerns to their Heavenly Father when we are unable to comfort them. The most important thing we are trying to do is teach them what is right, and then help them to make correct choices on their own.

Forest Colver Sr. answered…

One of my most favorite times of the day is family scriptures reading and prayer before bedtime. We always gather together as a family and sing one to five songs--usually church songs. Then I usually read the scriptures to the kids, and then we have family prayer together before sending kids off to bed.
Now I'm sure most reading this, picture a reverent atmosphere with beatific children sitting on the sofa with their little hands folded and heavenly angels nigh--barely able to restrain from manifesting themselves on such an idyllic scene. Not so. In fact frequently some kid will latch on to my head, or someone will say something funny, or tell something funny that happened that day, or someone starts tickling someone else (okay, that's usually me...okay, okay, it's always me). We really do strive for reverence during this time in the evening and occasionally we achieve it. But I have also learned that much of the joy we are feeling when there is giggling and rough-housing (as long as no one get hurt), and tickling, and telling stories, and laughing, is an important part of strengthening our family, and is in fact akin to what heaven is really like. So I try to allow this to take place as long as we always keep it appropriate. And we must be reverent during the prayer, and through as much of the scripture reading as we can. Reverence is very important and we will continue to strive for it, but all that other stuff is important too and time needs to be taken for our family to bond in these ways.
I firmly believe that these family times illustrate to the kids where true happiness comes from and when they go into he world where so many others try to entice them to do what most label as "fun" they will be able to detect the counterfeit because they have thoroughly experienced the authentic.

Nicole answered…

We find great strength in scripture study and prayer. We strive to have family scripture study each morning and family prayer each morning and night. My husband and I each have personal scripture study and prayer each day also, and encourage our children to do the same. This brings a spirit of strength, peace, and harmony into our home.

The scriptures provide many great examples of strength and courage that can give us guidance and strength as as we experience trials and temptations in our daily lives. And most importantly they teach and testify of our Savior Jesus Christ, who is the greatest example of courage, strength, and charity.

Prayer is a key that opens the doors to heaven. Prayer gives us the ability to talk with our Heavenly Father and receive the knowledge, guidance, strength, peace, and comfort that we are seeking or in need of each day.

Along with prayer & scripture study, we set aside a whole evening each week, usually Monday night, for a family night - also known to Mormons as Family Home Evening FHE. This is a night we usually spend just with our family, but at times with another family or two. We will have a short lesson on a gospel topic or scripture story, then we will do a fun family activity, learn a new skill, or do some service. This helps our children learn about our Savior Jesus Christ and his gospel and teachings, and learn how and what they can do to follow His example. It also helps them to learn and discover new skills and talents which helps strengthen their self esteem and confidence.

We also try to find opportunities to serve together as a family. It could be as simple as taking a treat or meal to a neighbor or picking up trash in the park, or something more involved like helping someone move, serving in a food bank, or helping in other community needs. Doing service not only helps out someone who is in need, but it strengthens the bond we share as a family as we spend this time together and helps us to not be so focused on our needs and wants.

Kathleen answered…

I love being a mom and have tried in 30 years of marriage to strengthen my family by daily scriptures and weekly family home evening. Family home evening for me as a mom was the most important thing we did to try to keep our family focused and close. Now as our children have married and started families of their own they continue to have family home evening. Each Sunday evening everyone gathers at our house for the best homemade milkshakes around. This helps us stay close and continue to enjoy each others company.

Christopher answered…

I try and spend as much time with my family is possible I am very bussy but always make time to spend with my family even if it means a few less hours of sleep. This time together helps us to grow closer and to have time to talk about what is going on in our lives so we can support eachother.

Nikki answered…

My husband and I read and study the scriptures and pray together every day. We also have Family Home Evening on Monday nights and make sure to go on a date at least once a week. I know that as we make family a priority, as we have children, we will keep safe, close, and happy.

Aaron answered…

One my favorite things about the LDS church is our "Family Home Evening" program. One night a week we dedicate an evening to study the scriptures, play games, and spend time as a family without the TV. This also gives us an atmosphere where we can talk about how we are doing as a family and how we can improve. I love to teach that we are a team and we work together to help everyone in our family be happy and achieve their goals.

Sofía answered…

First of all, we have family prayer everyday. We also study the Bible and Book of Mormon together most days. We make it a point to eat dinner together every night. We also spend part of every evening together. We either go on a walk, play in the yard, garden, bike, visit a park, or just talk together. Good wholesome activities help families get along and be stronger. It is also important to let mom and dad go on a date every week!!! We also try to teach our children not to fight and be kind to each other. We try to show them to serve each other and respect other family members.

Mike answered…

I educate them about what I have learned. I inform them about the purpose of their life.

Jenna Lynn Bramlett answered…

My family works hard each and every day to spend as much time together as possible. Every night we have dinner together where we say prayer and share the events of our day over a meal we made together. We have family movie night, game nights, themed meal nights, we cook together, bake together and I even take my children on photo excursions with me. Each and every day we share our blessings, we share scripture and we read stories about our Heavenly father. A family is exactly what we strive to have at all times. A family is a unit which strives "together" not separately. I am happy to say that we are a unit, working together, always with the love of our Heavenly father taking the Reigns.

Sean Terry answered…

 Every night, during the week, we eat dinner together as a family and talk about what we did that day. It is a good opportunity for myself and my wife, Julie, to have conversations with our children about their busy lives. It is during those conversations we can talk about what is important in their lives.

Charlie Shipp -- with Lynnette answered…

INDEXING can be a family reunion activity.

Sara answered…

We try to spend as much time together as possible. We have dinner together in the evenings at the dinner table. We have family fun nights, and also one night a week we talk about scripture stories.
We pray together, and we do our best to raise our children with confidence and to be self-reliant...and to love the Lord.

Michael Charlton answered…

We try to consistently read scriptures as a family and say family prayers. As complicated as our life is, sometimes that's easier said than done. We just live our life day to day. We don't bake pies for orphanages. We don't can peaches or sew quilts for homeless people. I hate Jell-o. We just try to be a little better every day.

James Rich answered…

We try to be positive and encouraging to one another. We serve and worship together on Sundays, we all help out around the house. We read the scriptures each night with our son. We pray morning and night as a family and individually and ask for God's help in our family. We are very careful about the media we allow into our home. We also work to overcome weaknesses and apologize when we give or take offense. We try to express love and appreciation. We try to reserve Monday evenings for family time. We plan wholesome recreation activities together. We laugh and try not to take ourselves too seriously. 

Brad answered…

First and foremost, I try to prioritize my relationship with my wife. I make it a point to schedule date nights together, and to enjoy small vacations just the two of us. I think our kids are happiest knowing and seeing that we are in love. My favorite part of the day is usually the last 20 minutes before the kids go to bed. I love praying together as a family, reading/telling stories, and just talking as a family. I have also learned that it is important to have a combination of quantity and quality time with family.  

Cara answered…

We do simple things together everyday. We always eat dinner together. We read the scriptures every night as a family and kneel in prayer every night together. Without fail, we have weekly Family Home Evening, even if it's short because it was a long day and it's late. We laugh together and play together. My husband and I strive to teach our children responsibility, respect, and service through their every day actions in our home.

Rachael answered…

I'm not yet married, but in my family of origin, I strive to be a loving daughter, sister, and aunt. I love to spend time with my parents, siblings, and nieces and nephews. The most important thing that I do to strengthen my family is to keep working hard to maintain our relationships. All successful relationships involve conscious work. I work to make sure that I am aware of their lives, their children, the worries, their goals. I also work to make sure that I spend time with them and that I speak to them and treat them kindly. I also regularly pray for my family and look for opportunities to serve them. I also believe that it's important for me to start developing myself and improving myself in order to be someone's wife and mother someday. To do this, I work hard on my current family relationships, date, learn more about myself and my personality, maintain friendships, and learn more about household responsibilities such as managing finances, caring for children, cooking, and working for a living in a professional environment.

Mikayla answered…

My family and I are praying, reading scriptures, and attending church regularly

Jared Brock answered…

Every Sunday after church is over, we have what we call our CCS Meeting. CCS stands for Comment, Complaint and Suggestion. It is a time when we go over the plans for the oncoming week, and discuss any problems or successes that the family is experiencing.
It is a time where the children can share their feelings openly without any reprisal or worry. As a family we are constantly growing and working on improving. Proper communication plays a key role in that growth, and our CCS meeting sets the perfect environment for that communication.

Joanne answered…

I feel the most important thing we can do to strengthen our family is by spending quality time together. We enjoy having our family gather at supper time for our meal. We talk about how everyone's day has been, we start by saying a family prayer. I've really made a conscious effort to keep the kids activities to a minimum at supper time. We have a family night on Mondays. We try and plan wholesome recreational activities that our whole family can participate in. We like camping and hiking together. We plan backpacking trips that we take our kids on. These trips bond our family together, we usually go to remote areas where we see no other people. We have to work together to get things done, like finding water sources, cook our meals, set up tents, share in carrying the load. We have found that these trips bring us closer than some of our more expensive holidays.
We also read the scriptures together, I must admit that as our children have gotten older it has gotten easier, but you've got to start when they are little. I love how they now have sincere and interesting questions.

Elley Dreher answered…

My son is not a member of the church. So sometimes it can be hard on our family with the choices he makes. I just keep praying for him and let him know on a regular basis that the Lord loves him very much and that he was put on this world to do great things. I tell my son that I am and will always be his biggest fan. The Lord works His miracles and the miracle of prayer and faith can move mountains. We have to keep in mind that mountains are our family members and friends as well. I just know that without the Lord, I am nothing and will be nothing.

Jessica answered…

My husband and I talk often of what we desire for our family. We keep our desires in line with what we believe the Lord wants for families because we believe that when our marriage includes the Lord, we can achieve so much more than we can as just the two of us. We study the teachings of the Gospel often and seek sincerely through prayer to know what the Lord would have us do for our family.

Suzanne answered…

My husband and I have couple prayer. It's such a wonderful opportunity for us to kneel before our Heavenly Father and ask him to bless us as a couple. We ask Him to help us be patient and kind with one another. We ask Him to help us both balance our lives better. When we have problems, we Him to help us see how to fix those problems. We ask Him to bless our children and grandchildren and to help direct us to know how we can best help them as their parents and grandparents.

Mike answered…

My wife and I are doing our best to help our little children know about their Savior Jesus Christ. We read from the Book of Mormon as a family each night. Usually it's just a few verses, but we let the kids read (they just repeat what mom or dad reads). This keeps them involved and interested.

We are also trying to instill in our children is a sense of responsibility.

Our children are still all under the age of five. We try to spend as much time with the children as we can. We know that they won't be little forever and the older they get the more difficult it is to influence them. I took my boys camping once last summer and they haven't stopped talking about it since. I think one way to get closer to your children is to do things that you all enjoy doing together. I hope they are always so excited to spend a weekend with their dad.

Krystle answered…

When I do my own personal scripture study or read talks from the prophets it gives me the strength to bring that to the rest of my family. I have an easier time remembering to say prayers every morning and night and before meals. We also have family scripture time before bed every night. I know that my daughter is feeling the spirit in our home through these things. She understand when we say prayer that she needs to fold her arms. She also understand that when we read scriptures she has to sit with mom or dad. Sometimes it's harder to get her to do these things, but it's the consistancy of doing these things that she's learning. I've noticed my daughter doesn't get as angry with things when we do these things and the harmony in our home is so wonderful. We all benefit from doing these things together as a family.

Dave answered…

I help as much as i can so that my family will be in peace and happy always both spiritually and socially..Church nowadays requires of us members that we start and plan on standing alone that's how we can tell that we are Mormon if we can live our own life.. Helping other as Prophet Joseph Smith says,,, If our lives doesn't belong to others or not use for others than our life is not unique.. its like we're dead already.. We need to help so families will be strengthen and become successful.

Megan answered…

I am striving to make a more conscious effort to really listen to my son. More than just asking him how his day went, I am talking to him about specific kids in his class, how he feels about his teacher, what they are learning, how he feels about going to PE everyday, and other things that might seem unimportant to me, but may be very important to an eight year old boy. We read together. Sometimes we sing together, though unfortunately he's hitting that age when singing with his mom isn't as fun as he maybe thought it was when he was younger. Even though it is just him and me in the home, I still try to have Family Home Evening - where more than just truly being at home together, we plan something to do together, that we will both enjoy. Sometimes this involves making something for my parents and taking it to them. Sometimes it's a craft we're both interested in. Most of the time it includes spotlighting a particular principal I'd like us both to have in our life.

Most of all, I want us both to know that we love each other and are there for each other even when we might feel alone.

Zach Brough answered…

I got married recently. My wife and I moved to a new state shortly after we got married to go to school. Since we've been away from home we have had to rely a lot on the Lord and the Gospel of Jesus Christ to make our family successful. We are striving to establish good patterns early in our marriage that will bless us especially when our family begins to grow. We read the scriptures together every day, as a couple and individually. We go to church every Sunday and serve in our church callings. We pray each night together before we go to sleep, and each morning when we wake up. These little things we have been doing have really blessed us, and they have really brought my wife and I closer together during the first months of our marriage.

Grant Arnold answered…

 The church teaches that family is so very important because these relationships can last throughout the eternities. I am trying to keep my family strong and united by having daily family prayer, scripture study, and by setting aside at least one evening a week for a "Family Home Evening." During this evening we have a lesson about the gospel, a fun activity, and usually some snacks. It is a time set aside for us as a family to forget about all other things and focus on each other. Through these simple daily and weekly goals, we are growing stronger in our family relationships.

Sandra Rochelle answered…

I make sure to pray, keep the commandments, practice being a good example to my family, and when I make mistakes I repent. My kids are all grown and gone, however I do have family home evenings, and serve others. I try to live by example.

Paige answered…

Right now, my family is just me and my husband. But we both look forward to the time when we can have children and let our family grow. Right now, I'm working hard to be a good wife by treating my husband with love and respect and supporting him. We're very in love and we had a wonderful courtship and engagement, but even so, I realize that a good marriage isn't easy or automatic, so I'm working hard to make our marriage the best it can be. I'm also preparing to be a mom, because it's something I'm so excited for. I'm preparing by forming good habits with my husband now, habits we know will bless our children's lives, like good spending, hard work, and most importantly, love and support for each other. I'm trying to develop qualities that will help me as a mother, like patience, faith, charity, and courage. One of the things that has helped me most in both preparing for parenthood and being a better wife has been prayer. As I pray to Heavenly Father and sincerely search for ways that I can be better, He always helps me find the ways and act on them.

Tiffany Dawn Thornton answered…

Our family is still pretty small, and we're still working on all of these but we try to have family prayer, Family Night, family scripture study, and we eat as many meals together as we can. We try to spend time talking and playing and enjoying each others' company. I know that if we build these habits as our children get older they will grow to be best friends with each other. They will love and trust us as parents, and come to us in their times of need. I know that our family won't be perfect, and occasionally we will mess up, but we are trying to do everything we can to build strong family ties now. If we do this, our family will be built on a firm foundation of love. When the storms of life hit, we will be able to withstand them.

Jake answered…

We are just a bit different from what might be common within the LDS church, when it comes to strengthening my family. It is common to baptise your children at 8 years of age. As my children approached this age, I asked them to prepare themselves thoroughly and make their own choice about becoming a member of the church. They were encouraged to meet with missionaries, read scriptures, pray, fast, ask many questions, and tested to see that they understood basic doctrines of the church. They were informed that this was their choice, and love or affinity would not be withheld if they chose differently. This practice has proven very powerful in their lives as they make choices now on who they are going to become and what they will do. I cannot be with my children everyday, and thus instill in them personal responsibility, expicitly, on making good choices. When they do not, I discuss the experience and at times the consequences they must suffer, but regardless keep love and affinity complete with them.

Adam Hartley answered…

The Mormon Church encourages fathers to sit down individually with each of our children from time to time and discuss with them their spiritual journey in life. When I do this with my own children, it is a powerful, Holy Ghost-filled time of insight and love for us. Its a sacred, solemn, happy time that helps my children immensely and that cements me to my family like a rock.