Parents can use the following simple family night activity to illustrate the importance of family unity: Invite your family into the kitchen and ask them to help you make a favorite food. Show them each of the ingredients, and explain to them the importance of each ingredient in making the food turn out right. Once the food is cooking, explain that each family member, like the ingredients in the food, is important in making your family turn our right. Ask family members to share their feelings about each other and about ways to make your family more unified. In many homes, the hectic demands of day-to-day life all too often crowd out long-term family needs. As a result, parents and teens are building weak relationship and poor communication.
Troubled teen program and other similar youth organizations are helping these troubled teens to express their feelings one way or another through social activities and one-on-one talk. Just as building a house requires planning and hard work, building a strong family also requires planning and hard work.