Maybe you don’t think that spending time with your family is the cool thing to do. We’ve all had those “WHAT did my Mom/Dad/Grandparent/sibling just say to my best friend/the coolest kid in school/my crush??!!” moments. Everyone’s got those horror stories, when parents reveal that they really ARE from a different generation. But when all is said and done, they’re still your family!!

And if you think that teens today shudder at the idea of “family time,” think again! According to The State of Our Nation’s Youth survey from 2003-04, today’s teens are anything but embarrassed of their parents. Of the students surveyed, 44% identified their parents as their role models. Compare that to 10% of students who claimed entertainers as their role models! But teens don’t just admire their parents from a distance, 50% of students identified their family as the people they would most like to spend more time with.

So what if you’re part of the 50% of kids that would like to spend more time with their families? If you’re like many teens in the U.S., you probably spend most of your time at school, hanging out with friends, doing homework, and participating in extracurriculars at school. So where can you find the time to spend with your family? Read on under DEFINED and HOW TO for ideas!!