Yes, fun with your children is an important step to bonding.

Yesterday, you saw pictures of children having the time of their lives with parents. Fun is so necessary in a family that each day, as we look at ourselves in the mirror, smile at ourselves and remember that here's another new day to bring our children closer to us with fun.

It was sometime at the beginning of this year that the Art of Living held a celebration to welcome the new year. Look at the previous day's pictures and see how precious such moments are.

Members and their families as well as relatives and friends turned up for the event. The event was a success not so much due of the numerous delicious food served; more so because of the convivial atmosphere and the joy of participating in the events where children are given no less importance and attention than the adults.

Having fun with our children is of utmost importance as it will bring the family closer together. The love and closeness are so evident in their joy.

The fun at the gathering was doubled, even tripled when it was shared with other families. The smiles, laughter and joy were so infectious that even those who were more content to merely watch felt them seep into their being. Such is the beauty of being a part of a joyful event. The spontaneous happiness derived is immeasureable! The memory of it can never fade away. Forever will it remain in the hearts and minds of those participants. Look at the faces and we see happiness radiating with the thrill of having fun with a parent. Such was the joy of the moment.

Happiness through some activity with parents nurtures the important bond between the child and his/her parents. Life is then so much more delightful. Being close helps both parents and the child to confide in each other, exposing problems that might never surface until they become threats to harmony in the family.

For example, I believe my own child would not have confided to me the fact that a child in his kindergarten had used a vulgar word so boldly, had I not been close to him and caused him to understand that his parents are the ones to approach and relate without fear of any loss of love no matter what happens; that we are the ones he can depend upon to help him solve any difficulties he may encounter. Through such closeness, I was able to know what had happened and was enabled to take steps to prevent further damage from such undesirable influence. (I did not pull him out of the kindergarten. I explain the undesirable effects of such words and told him those were the reasons daddy and mommy do not use such words. He understood and the result is that, to this day, my two children never use such vulgar words.)

As the years roll by, such happy memories will return whenever they are needed in times of loneliness, doubt and depression to drive out the negativity and help them to appreciate that life; though never constant, forever changing, sometimes bad and other times good; has more memorable happy times than lousy ones. Those who have experienced such joy would be able to use such memories to skip over the possible bad patches in their lives.

Don’t you see, this is the reason why we keep photos of all those good times we have had. Photos and memories of joy are an essential part of our lives.

So we ought to put as much joy as possible into our lives so that we, including our children, knows the joy of playing, socialising, language learning, reading, learning, experiencing and working as a family as well as a community.