Ideas for Families to Take Back Your Time

Offered by the Massachusetts Council of Churches

•  Invite your family to reflect together about what each member values. How do those values relate to your use of time? Are your priorities in alignment?

•  Look through an old family picture album. Share with your children the things you remember and value from your own childhood. Does your family’s schedule adequately reflect these values? Take time to reassess your children’s activities. Is there enough play time, structured time, study time, unscheduled time and spiritual time in your child’s life?  What one thing could be changed that would make a difference?

•  When your child is asked to join a new activity or attend an event, make an agreement to delay the decision until you can discuss it together. For help, read the chapter in the book Practicing Our Faith, edited by Dorothy Bass entitled “Saying Yes and Saying No” by M. Shawn Copeland.

•  Children are not getting as much time for unstructured play as we think they do. Though it runs counterintuitive to the idea of loosening the grip our calendars have on our lives, if your family needs it, schedule some free time for unstructured play.

•  Consider spending some time with your children in silence. Try turning off the radio or DVD player in the car.  See what happens. Read the article “Silent Spaces, Silent Times” at www.theologic.com/offweb/forfolks/silentspaces.htm.

•  If you haven’t taken time to read in a while, or if your family reads while doing other things, set aside some time to sit in the same room and read together, or read to each other. Two recommended books: The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Pressure by Stan and Jan Berenstain and Five Minutes’ Peace and a Quiet Night In by Jill Murphy.

•  Recover the practice of eating together as a family as regularly as possible.  Be prepared with small snacks if people start to get hungry before everyone arrives. On special occasions, consider including someone from your church or community whose family lives far away.

•  Advocate for better after school activities, better scheduling of youth sports events, and summer jobs in Massachusetts. The 2004 Public Agenda Report “All Work and No Play?” found that low-income and minority families are significantly less satisfied with the quality, affordability and availability of out-of-school time options.

•  Encourage your entire city or town to take a night off, with no homework, no sports and no meetings. Massachusetts communities that have joined this growing trend include Needham, Newton, Belmont, Falmouth, Lexington, Northborough and Southborough.

•  Have a public discussion about ideas and resources to balance family life, spiritual life, work, school, and other activities. Draw ideas from www.puttingfamilyfirst.info, www.pbs.org/workfamily, www.familynightamonth.org and www.hyper-parenting.com