If you read this headline with a strong sense of doubt, you are not alone.
Just getting kids to school, extracurricular activities and social engagements,
getting homework done and getting them to eat something healthy while
you clean the house, do the laundry and deal with your own career may
be so time consuming that you just don’t see where you can possibly
find the time for more family time.
Statistics show that spending even a small amount of family time together
can make a huge difference to your student’s happiness, their level
of social adjustment and even their academic performance. From Tutor Doctor’s
blog on the importance of family meals:
- 19% of teens who do not share at least three family meals together a week
report stressed relationships between family members compared to 7% who
do enjoy family meals.
- More meals at home result in higher performance scores and fewer behavioral problems.
- Students who enjoy family meals are more informed about good eating habits
and are less likely to suffer from obesity.
- The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at the University
of Columbia found that students who eat meals with their families are
less likely to drink, smoke or use drugs.
Read the full article
If spending only an hour together three times a week can make such a huge
difference to your student’s life and to the coherence of the family
unit, then its worth the effort.
Every month, set a new goal for your family to spend time together. You
can start small like a five minute chat to see what everyone has been
up to before bed or dinner three times a week. These goals can be added
to as you make family time a priority. You can expand your repertoire
to include things like a family movie night, a game night or a weekend away.
Family time should mean that each member of the family gets to talk or
participate equally and that their input is important. This will help
you to keep in touch with your students while they learn to get along
well together. Making family time a priority will help everyone to make
time for it and it also sends the message that the family is more important
than anything else.
The best way to make a little extra time is to make a routine that works
for you. This means that you set in place routines and chores so that
everyone knows what they are doing and when they are doing it. Sharing
responsibilities will help you to save time. Routines also establish family
time timeslots and these are sacred and should be respected by everyone.
Setting out a little time to spend together will have you all getting along
better and helping each other out more. As your family enjoys spending
time together, they will find it easier to make the time available to
hang out with you.