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Time vs. Quality Time
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You live with your family, so of course you spend time together!! You see your Mom sipping coffee in the morning as you breeze out the door to get to school on time. Your dad gives you a nod as you come in after sports practice to heat up leftovers from dinner (or was Dad just falling asleep?) You don’t really have time to pester your siblings these days. Even though you live together (as in, you sleep under the same roof), you don’t really LIVE together.
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You might wonder, “Why should I spend time with my family?” Here are just a few reasons:
You’ll learn about your family’s history.
Your parents might tell you some crazy stories about what they were like when they were younger.
You’ll start to appreciate the members of your family for who they are
The entire family will grow closer.
It’s a great time to debate, argue, play, talk, philosophize, joke around, etc.
Here’s how you can tell the difference between quality time and just, well, time! QT with the Family
You talk about your day.
You ask questions on important issues in your life.
You aren’t fighting, although you might be arguing over something important in a constructive manner.
You share stories about past family incidents and adventures.
You ENJOY yourself!
You realize how cool your family members really are (and not just by association!)
Just Time
You may be in the same room with your family, but you’re not really interacting (think watching TV or doing homework while your parents read the newspaper)
You’re arguing in a hurtful way or just not talking (like during drives to school or orthodontic appointments)
Tomorrow you won’t even remember your parents were present for whatever activity you were doing
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When asked how well they got along with their parents, most students had pretty positive responses:
27% get along “extremely well” with their parents
47% get along “very well”
23% get along “just okay”
3% don’t get along “very well at all”
(According to the 2003-04 The State of Our Nation’s Youth Survey)
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