Spending time with family can never be a luxury but a necessity. As Barbara Bush rightly said, “At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, a parent.” According to research, time spent with family plays an important role in our developmental process. It is a driving force behind a healthy relationship between wife and husband and parents and children (1). This post tells you about family time, including why it is so important, how much time you should spend, and different ways to spend time with your family.
Why You Should Spend Time With Your Family
You need to spend time with your spouse and children to strengthen the relationships. In fact, research shows that the higher the frequency of shared time, the better the marital stability and happiness (2). Moreover, your kids will learn to respect your sacrifices, show affection towards each other and grow up into healthy individuals. Here we tell you how family bonding can help the couple, the parents and children.
Importance Of Family Time For Couples
Partners are like the roots of the family tree. They need to support and nourish the tree so that it stays firm, grows and blossoms. This is possible only when they have a strong and loving relationship between them. Here is how it helps.
Importance of Family Time For Children
The benefits you reap by spending time with your family are too good to be ignored. But does that mean that you have to spend hours together with them, or just make a casual 10-minute breakfast meet and get done with it?
How Much Time Should You Spend With Your Family?
You may spend 45 minutes to one hour daily and four to five hours during the weekends. It depends on your convenience and the family’s schedules. You would not want to disturb their bedtime or learning time and similarly, you cannot afford to ignore your work to spend unending time with the family. But make sure you are not spending the time just for the sake of it. When you say family time, it must strictly be between you and your family – no office work, TV or smartphones in between. So, should you just keep talking all the time or can you do something else together?
How To Spend Time With Your Family?
You do not always need to go to Disneyland or get together only on holidays to have quality family time. While annual vacations are enjoyable, there are other effective ways to spend time quality with your family. We have listed the most basic and important ways to spend time with your family: If you are not in a situation to spend much time with your family due to other obligations, then do your best to be there with them as often as possible. If you are away from them, call them up every day, and talk even if you do not have anything important to say. These efforts are necessary because not spending time with your children might have some adverse effects on them.
What Would Happen If You Are Not Spending Time With Your Child?
Consider this: You can buy an expensive birthday gift for your child, but does it give them happiness if you are not there for their birthday? No. While it is essential to work hard and provide for your family, spending quality time with them is essential too. Here are some of the adverse effects of not spending time with children:
