10 Witty Ways To Navigate Through Relationships For Everyday Happiness

Relationships are so much easier when spiced up

Relationships always flourish when they are taken care of and not taken for granted. Lately, so many relationships around us seem stressed out due to stress of work or pandemic or loss of a job or simply staying indoors twenty-four by seven. But if relationships are given a fresh perspective every day, they can bloom and spread happiness that is long-lasting.

Well, to have these blossoming relationships we need to put in the effort and yes, a lot of work is required but with everyday practice, it becomes effortless. So, let’s embark on this beautiful journey of making these relationships bloom. There are certain things that I personally do to keep myself and my family and happy and pepped up. And I would really like to share some of them.

Here are the 10 witty ideas that you can use to bond with your family:

1. Leaving Funny Notes To Each Other 

Little things in life often leave big impressions. Post it is one of those small things that have a huge impact. Parents and kids can leave funny messages, pictures, jokes, riddles, etc. to each other on a post-it and stick them in different places like the kitchen, washroom mirror, study, etc. Reading them instantly brings a smile to the faces of all and kind of acts as a bonding agent for the whole family.

I, my spouse, and my son leave each other funny notes in different places, sometimes in the study, bathroom, kitchen, as I mentioned, like a joke, a funny picture, or a funny dialogue from a movie. It really changes the mood of the house and keeps us going.

funny notes
Unsplash Daria Nepriakhina

2. Tickle Your Worries 

Some days are difficult than others. At times adults get worried about something, other times kids also get bothered by something, their school or some friend or simply they are having a bad day and that can affect everybody's mood in the house. If we are not feeling happy from within, create it. And tickling works every time. Be a team against the one who is feeling sad or bored and try to tickle them. It is the easiest way to bring smiles to their faces. 

It works for us every time. Whenever one of us is worried or upset about something, we say out loud, “whoever is sad, makes the tickle monster go mad!” And we tickle each other. Trust me it saves the mood of the house and the day feels easy and light.

tickling my kid
Unsplash Gabe Pierce

3. Dance To A Funny Song Together 

Dance is a therapy and a mood alleviator. Not only it makes us happy and healthy but also brightens up the day. All the members of the family can dance together to a funny or a peppy song, it surely is a fun activity and also helps in family bonding. 

For us, it is sort of a ritual in the house, we dance to at least 5 songs every evening when the office, classes, etc. are over. Not only it relaxes mentally and physically but also just changes the mood and we all feel charged up.

dancing
Unsplash David Clode

4. Recall A Funny Incident 

Life is full of so many stories and each story has its own time, place, and significance. Such stories or moments or incidents when revisited always have some freshness to them. And trust me, when done with family, it always adds to the humor. Try to do it with your family, when there is not much to talk about, just recall an old funny incident and then the conversation just goes on and on and on with laughter and mirth filling the house.

When sometimes there is not much to talk about on the dinner table, we try to recall a funny incident, it could be from childhood or a trip or some marriage and this one always works as it adds on to something more every time.

mirth and happiness
Unsplash Priscilla du Preez

5. Explain Mood Or Feeling Through A Song

Music, who doesn't love it? Kids, adults, everyone just love music and singing songs. Well, I have a different angle here for you. Try explaining your mood through a song. For example, whenever my son is excited about something and I ask him how does he feel about it, he would sing, "because I am happy" by Pharrell Williams or "Can't stop the feeling" by Justin Timberlake.

Well with kids in the house and no school, we go through different moods. Sometimes happy or irritated about something we (my family) try to explain the feeling through a song and it always melts down the mood. The feeling is quickly replaced by a grin and fun.

find the feeling
Unsplash Felix Koutchinski

6. Funny Names To A Meal

To a very large extent, most of us eat home-cooked meals during the lockdown. And yes, sometimes it does get boring. Especially kids have complaints so you can ask them to give the meal a funny name and then try to eat it. Sounds weird but it certainly works! Like calling cauliflower Sushi and try to eat it with chopsticks or come up with your own creative idea. 

At my home sometimes we rescue the sad broccoli or cauliflower and sometimes we sing songs to them before eating and bid them goodbye. Kids love it when adults act crazy (in a funny way) and happiness follows.

Unsplash Tengyart

7. Calling Each Other By Character Names 

Most of us particularly like certain movies or cartoon characters and we try to imitate them. Try calling yourself by a character from a movie, cartoon, or comics and act or talk like them. It is so much fun to do this as a family and kids just love it.

Every day we give a character name to each other. It could be from a superhero movie or a comic or a cartoon and then we talk like them for the whole day. Sometimes we also dress up and create a play around and when Batman fights with Mickey Mouse, it is a sight to see.

calling character names
Unsplash Steven Libralon

8. Riddle Me 

It is one of the oldest games that everybody in the family mostly does, but never loses charm. There are so many different kinds of riddles online like math riddles, science, English, whatever. Or try coming up with funny riddles of your own, give five or ten seconds to answer, whoever loses does one chore. It's a total win-win situation for kids and also for adults. 

We do that almost every day. Being a mommy, It’s my personal favorite. And yes, it also increases creativity and knowledge.

answer the riddle
Unsplash Jon Tyson

9. Declare The Game knight

Before hitting bed everyone wants to just leave the worries and tiredness of the day behind and what better than games. Traditional games like Ludo, Uno, Snakes, and ladders, Monopoly always work. Play one game with your family for like 15-30 minutes, whoever wins can be declared "Game Knight" and gets to choose one activity or game for the next day.

We do it on weekdays, especially before bed. Whoever is given the title of “The Game Knight” decides one thing for the next day, it could be a game or an activity or a dish of their choice.

game knight wins the game night
Unsplash Rock & Roll Monkey

10. Listening To Understand 

Conversations are an integral part of any family and with screen time actual conversations hardly take place. Many times rifts happen because parents listen to their kids half-heartedly and vice versa. Try to keep a technology-free zone and time in your family for ideas and conversations to take place.

Cutting on-screen time has hugely added to the happiness of my family and many of my friend’s families. Actual conversations take place as nobody is distracted and we listen to understand. Basically, we have worked on building a strong foundation wherein there is no place for sadness and misunderstandings.

be a good listener
Unsplash Mimi Thian

These tips might seem petty but have left a lasting impression on my family’s happiness and well beings. I hope many of you like them and feel free to add your own ideas. And don’t forget to leave comments.

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Opinions and Perspectives

These activities create memories that last way beyond the moment

1

The funny notes turned into an art project. We frame our favorites

0

We adapted these for our special needs child. The structure helps a lot

7

These ideas sound simple but they really do make a difference long term

5

The listening practice transformed how we handle conflicts now

6

We rotate who picks the activity each day. Keeps things fresh and fair

0

These suggestions helped rebuild our family bonds after a rough patch

4

Started small with just notes, now we do most of these naturally

4

The character names helped my kids process emotions through role play

3

We use these ideas during family video calls with relatives abroad

7

Our funny meal names turned into creative cooking sessions with the kids

7

Dance parties work great for releasing tension after disagreements

7

The screen-free time was hard at first but now we all look forward to it

7

We modified these for our grandparents too. They love being included

0

Started leaving notes in lunch boxes. Kids say it makes their day at school better

4

The riddles evolved into full brain teaser nights at our house

3

These activities helped ease tension during family transitions like moving

7

We created a family playlist for our dance parties. Everyone contributes songs

2

The music mood expression helped my teen communicate during difficult times

7

These suggestions work well for holidays when everyone is home together

6

We do monthly theme nights incorporating several of these ideas together

1

The recall funny incidents idea sparked wonderful family conversations about our history

6

Started with character names and now we have full storylines going. So much creativity

7

These activities helped my introverted child come out of their shell gradually

4

The tickling suggestion needs a disclaimer about respecting boundaries and consent

7

We do funny notes but through our family group chat. Works great for busy schedules

5

Love how these suggestions can be adapted for different age groups and family sizes

3

The game knight concept created too much competition in our house. Had to modify it

7

These ideas helped us through lockdown. They became our coping mechanisms

7

Started doing dance parties during work breaks with my kids. Great way to stay active

1

The listening suggestion is key. Without that foundation none of the fun activities matter

6

We adapted these for our long-distance family. We send funny notes through text now

3

The funny meal names totally changed our dinner dynamics. No more complaints about vegetables

4

Our family started with just one idea and gradually added more. Now they feel natural not forced

6

I find these suggestions help during difficult times. They bring lightness when things feel heavy

5

The character names worked surprisingly well during remote learning. Made the whole experience fun

1

We tried the post-it notes but our cat kept pulling them down! Had to switch to whiteboard messages

6

Not everyone has time for elaborate games and activities. Sometimes simple quiet time together is enough

4

The song mood expression is brilliant! My teen actually opens up more when using music to communicate

5

My family really enjoys the riddles but we do them during car rides instead of at home

2

These suggestions helped me connect better with my stepkids. The silly activities broke down barriers

4

We combined the funny names and character ideas. Now we have themed dinner nights with costumes

0

The dance party idea sounds exhausting after a long work day. Not all of us have that energy

2

I work from home and started using the funny notes idea with my spouse. Makes the day more fun

4

The screen-free time is crucial. We noticed our conversations improved drastically after implementing this

6

These are wonderful for nuclear families but what about single parents? Some of these feel exclusionary

8

We modified the game knight idea to movie knight and let the winner pick the weekend movie

6

Actually the tickling suggestion worked great for us. Its all about knowing your family dynamics

8

The character names dont work for us. My kids take it too far and wont respond to their real names

8

My husband thought these were silly at first but now he leaves the funniest notes in my coffee mug

8

Loving these suggestions! We started the funny incident recall at dinner and now we cant stop laughing

5

The dancing together idea transformed our evening routine. Now we have a daily 15-minute dance party

3

I appreciate the intention but some of us work long hours. When do people find time for all this?

4

The post-it notes have become our family tradition now. We even started a collection of our favorites

8

These suggestions feel a bit forced. Relationships should flow naturally without all these artificial activities

7

My family has been doing the song mood thing for years! Its amazing how music can shift the energy in the room

6

Not sure about the tickling idea. It could teach kids the wrong message about consent and personal space

4

The riddles suggestion really works! We do this during breakfast and it starts our day with laughter

0

I tried leaving notes but my teenager just rolled her eyes. These might work better for younger kids

1

Thanks for sharing these! The character names idea is brilliant. My 5-year-old loves being called Spider-Man all day

8

I disagree about the game night suggestion. My kids get too competitive and it usually ends in tears

1

The screen-free conversation time is so important. We implemented this at dinner and our family bonds have grown stronger

3

I've tried the funny meal names with my picky eater. Now broccoli is dinosaur trees and he actually eats them!

7

These are great suggestions! The dance party idea has been a game changer in our house, especially during stressful times

8

The tickle approach seems a bit forced to me. Not everyone is comfortable with physical contact like that

2

I love the idea about leaving funny notes! I started doing this with my kids last week and they get so excited finding them

4

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