09/01/2003: Family Time
Many families have no time for family, according to time-diary surveys by the
University of Michigan's Survey Research Center.
The center gathered information in 1981 and again in 1997 to compare.
According to a story on loss of family time in the September/October issue of
Experience Life magazine, the surveys show several factors conspiring against
togetherness:
- An average American family works 388 hours more per year
than in 1969.A 100 percent drop in household conversations was
measured over 16 years, meaning that in 1997, when the latest survey was taken,
periods in which "talking as a family" was the primary activity were virtually
down to zero.
- Time for family meals decreased from about nine hours
per week to eight - troubling in light of studies showing that mealtime at home
is one of the strongest predictors of high achievement scores and fewer
behavioral problems in children.
- A decline of 12 hours per week in overall free time for
children and three hours a week in playtime. Meanwhile, structured sports
doubled from about two-and-a-half hours per week to about five-and-a-half hours.
There was also a fivefold increase in time spent watching family members play
sports, from 30 minutes to more than three hours per week.
- Time children spend studying increased by almost 50
percent.
What to do?
Experts suggest making time for family in little ways. Schedule a weekly
china-and-candles dinner. Brush your child's hair or rub his back at bedtime. In
addition to closeness, such connections are good for one's health. People who
are socially disconnected are two to five times more likely to die from all
causes, reports Harvard professor Robert D. Putnam.
www.texasfamilyonline.com
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