If there were something you could do to improve the wellbeing of you and your family’s life, wouldn’t you take it? I think it’s safe to say you would.
Unfortunately, many families disengage themselves from spending time together. Whether it be intentionally or not, the domino effect of not spending valuable time together (as a family) can prove destructive—especially in the early developmental years of a child.
Sure, in today’s ultra-competitive, go-go culture, sometimes we’re simply too exhausted to bond. Between deadlines, soccer games, parent-teacher conferences, household chores, meetings, cooking, bills, etc., life can easily get overwhelming. And before you know it, you’ve inadvertently isolated yourself from your family because you simply didn’t have a choice.
But as difficult as it sounds, and as challenging it may be, it’s imperative that you spend some much-needed quality time with your family. And that goes beyond just sitting at the dinner table together. And bonding doesn’t even have to be something that is scheduled or seen as a mandatory responsibility, but rather, something that naturally “just happens.”
Something as simple as going to grocery store, opening the mail together, watching the sunset, making coffee, unloading the dishwasher, and just about any conceivable thing you could imagine, can be used as a vehicle for spending time together. The benefits of bonding together go far beyond learning about someone’s feelings or emotional state-of-mind, but instead, affect a family’s opportunity of wellbeing.
Here are some broadly examined benefits of ‘family time.’
Improves Behavioral Problems – Communication between kids and their parents is proven to benefit social issues. Conversation while gaining a child’s trust is essential to coercing comfort and expressing topical concerns. The more you disassociate with them communication-wise, the less chance you have at improving a behavioral problem.
Finding Love within the Mundane – The more ordinary ‘family time’ surfaces, the more likely it will occur again. By not pressuring conversation or pressing interaction, the less likely ‘family time’ will feel like an inconvenience. Even something as simple and mundane as watching television together can emerge pungent opportunities of ‘quality time.’ Sure, your television entertainment preferences might largely differentiate; for example, the only common selection of entertainment you might share with your child is through sports. If so, exploring your options, such as ESPN Gameplan with DIRECTV, might be a viable option for you to pursue.
Whatever the theme may be, utilize television as vehicle for garnering togetherness.
Helps to Develop Performance in School – Academic success with a child is largely associated with parents available for kids to ask questions and provide guidance. By simply ‘being there,’ you become an instant resource of information and further develop the relationship you share with them.
Less Chance of Drug Use or Violence – The emotional state-of-mind of a child is complicated, bombarded with a plethora of feelings of fears, foreshadowing, social trepidation, confusions and compulsions. Kids who feel as though their voices are not heard are more likely to ‘act out’ via unconstructive behaviors. Whether it is an act against “normality” or self-infliction, the significance of ‘family time’ maintains long-term benefits that can make or break a child’s interpretation and perspective on life.