Getting Your Family Back

We’ve all heard stories from our Grandfathers about the days past and how they lived without all the “newfangled” things we have today. We’ve probably all ignored most of them too. After all, what do they know? They were young so long ago! But maybe we should think about their stories and take them to heart. The average American family these days has so many things to do and play with that quality family time seems to be a myth. So why not try to revive an old legend and bring the family back together, using some tried and true methods?

When is the last time your family sat down together for a meal, with no television, MP3 players, or cell phones to distract anyone? If you can’t remember when it was, try making it happen this week. Ask your kids how their day went. Of course, many kids will give the standard “fine” but you may be surprised at how much they open up to you. There is also lots of evidence that there are long term benefits for children who have a ritual of family dinners. An example of these benefits includes a smaller chance of a child becoming involved with illegal drugs. Isn’t that a wonderful reason to have spaghetti and meatballs together?

Why not try something else and take a break from electronics, if only for a night? A good time to start this might be during National TV Turnoff Week. This week of family togetherness is next scheduled for April 20-26, 2009. Not having the television as a distraction may give your family a chance to try something like taking a walk around the neighborhood or playing a game. There’s nothing like a good game of Scrabble to bring the family together. You may just be amazed at how much a game of Charades will make your normally sarcastic teenager laugh. And who knows, maybe she’ll be willing to be seen with you in public after a while!