How A Hot Tub Can Add To Family Community

As far back as the Ancient Romans people would gather in public bath houses for social or business opportunities. Bath houses were a place where you could get together with friends in a relaxing atmosphere and in addition to the social interaction with comrades; you would be able to reap the benefits that are afforded when relaxing in a hot tub, full of warm water. You can't help but enjoy the health benefits when spending time in a hot tub because you can't make your blood NOT flow more easily, no matter what you do, the steam will still help your sinuses clear up and you will, no matter what, enjoy some level of relaxation.

Why wouldn't you want this same kind of interaction with the people that you love the most? Can you imagine the conversations and sharing you could enjoy with the time you sit in a hot tub with your loved ones? If that kind of family time is repeated it will allow for even the most tight-lipped family member to open up and share. I know because that's what happened to me. Hanging around in the hot tub on Friday nights with the family got my two teens, 14 and 15, to be able to talk about things they wouldn't normally because of the level of relaxation.

There are a million family-oriented games that can be enjoyed in a hot tub, too. Maybe those games won't involve a game board and moving pieces, but they can test your intelligence and allow you to remain sharp by thinking on your feet (or your seat).

With younger children, a fun game to play when together is; "I'm Thinking of Someone Special." The rest of the family must as yes or no questions until one person can name, by name, the person they're thinking of. These are fun because often younger children only really know their teachers and close family and it brings about a sense of, "that person is special to me." We all know that having people who are special to you often means there are people out there who you are special to as well.

Older children can embark on word association games like my kids play when they're at a restaurant with their dad, his girlfriend and her two children. The idea of this game is to say one word and the next person has to somehow say a word that relates to the word the person before said. When my children taught me they didn't allow proper nouns, so names and places were not counted, and saying one meant you were out for the next round. But you could also rhyme a word if you couldn't come up with a word that could be associated with it. I will say, that saved me from being kicked out of the game many times!

If you're looking for a good excuse to purchase a hot tub, keep in mind that these are very socially-oriented tools and can really bring about positive communication within your family.