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Family, and that means being a family together, is at the very heart of our civilisation – or, at least it used to be!
There are rising fears that nowadays people are spending much less family time together than they have done traditionally.
Why is family life today, and especially quality time spent together, still so important?
According to a report by the Child Development Institute LLC, children need to spend time with their parents and may actually crave it. The institute actively encourages parents and children to invest in play time together, especially time alone with each child in families where there are more than one child.
They suggest that spending time with each child individually is a great way to avoid problems in the future and allows them to look forward to that special time alone with an individual parent. They also go on to explain that spending family fun times with your children actually shows them that they are loved and opens new ways of communication between parents and their children.
There is a spark of something within each one of us that strives for companionship, for belonging and for being part of a secure family unit; bonded together and comfortable with each other. But that can only be engendered by spending regular quality time as a family, sharing and caring together.
Analysis of research carried out in 1966 and then again in 1999 shows that, at least on working days, parents are now spending less time together as a family including time eating together, along with changes to certain activities traditionally engaged in as a family.
Do families today have time to be families?
Where has traditional family time gone?
Being too busy is the main reason given as to why many families do not invest much or any quality time with their children.
To be fair, at times parenting can seem like a constant round of juggling one activity against another. The joy of cuddling your new born so soon fades faced with daily challenges like sleepless nights, toddler tantrums and, albeit later on, making sure the homework gets done.
Parents, both by what they do and don’t do, inevitably mould and shape those precious young humans they are entrusted with caring for. Yet parenting is a skill that so few of us are ever trained for other than by being parented ourselves; and how many of us can remember much about that – other than the good, fun stuff of course?
And family time should be an opportunity for parents to take time out and raise their families in an atmosphere of fun.
One thing to beware of is stress, especially in bringing it home from work!
Our overall physical, emotional, and mental state has an affect on our family life, especially with our partners/spouses and children. Fortunately, one of the best ways of reducing stress is by spending quality time with your family, incorporating stress management techniques with family bonding.
But both parents need to work together if they’re ever to make the bonds of their family grow stronger. And, in any case, children need the support and love of both parents if they are to grow up in a good, healthy environment. Which is why so many young people are going awry with so much fracturing of family life in modern society. Easier divorce and the breakdown of social ties, such as living together instead of getting married, have much to answer for.
With so many parents currently laid off or working reduced hours, it can leave a lot of time to be spent with their children, albeit with limited finances.
Adopt a style of life that creates a rhythm in the life of your family. It doesn’t matter so much about what you actually do together, just take your kids aside and play with them; it’s far more about the quality of time you spend with your children.
They will appreciate and enjoy the investment of your time.
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