Finding Time for Family Time

We all move through our busy lives at lightning speeds — work, school, baseball, ballet, board meetings, PTA and more — and it can be difficult to carve out even an hour to spend with our loved ones. But if you make spending quality time with your family a top priority, you’ll all be better for it.

Quality Time Defined
“Quality time” means engaging in an activity that is enjoyable for everyone involved. If one family member is uninterested, bored or simply doesn’t like whatever it is you are doing, there won’t be as much “quality” in your quality time.

The Importance of Family Time
Studies have shown that parents spend, on average, about 40 minutes each week having meaningful conversations with their children. On the flipside, a nationwide survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that children today spend almost 7.5 hours each day watching TV, playing video games or surfing the web. Who do you think is having more influence on those children? Getting away from outside distractions and truly listening to your children is a great way to teach them everyday skills and share your values while also reinforcing the concept that they are loved unconditionally. All of these are critical to their healthy development.

How to Make the Time
A big step in the right direction is learning to say “no.” Parents who are overcommitted with obligations to organizations — even very worthy ones — often end up sacrificing crucial family time to fulfill their duties. We know it’s not right to have our kids over-booked in after-school activities; it’s not much better when the parents are trying to do too much.

Ideas for Family Time
Spending quality time together doesn’t mean you have to take a weeklong vacation or even a trip to your local zoo. It can be something as simple as these ideas:

• Dinner Time. Turn off the TV, put away phones and sit down at the dinner table a few nights each week. Eating as a family is a tried-and-true tradition that will go a long way in filling the “quality time” gap in your house. To get the talking going, try a conversation starter like a nightly question that everyone answers such as, “What was the best part of your day?”
• Play Time. Break out the old board games or a deck of cards for a weekly family game night. Again, have everyone put their phones and tablets away for a few hours.
• Learning Time. Even if your children can handle their homework themselves, taking 15 or 20 minutes to go over it with them or assist them with studying shows them that their academic success is important to you and that you are around to help. Several recent studies have found that parental involvement in schoolwork has a more powerful influence on students’ academic performance than anything else, including their teachers.
• Activity Time. Exercising as a family has benefits beyond the bonding it provides. With childhood obesity at epidemic levels, teaching your kids the value of an active lifestyle is key. You don’t have to get too intense. A nice walk through the woods, a bike ride around the neighborhood or a little basketball game in the driveway are all great choices.
• Clean Time. A cluttered home can cost you time and energy. If you have to search in multiple spots for the things you and your family need each day, you’re wasting minutes you could be spending on something more meaningful. Get everyone involved in cleaning out closets, cabinets and drawers, and then create rules to keep things from piling back up.