Making Time for Family

Families today seem busier than ever! Dad has a late meeting at work. Mom has a church gathering at seven o’clock. The kids need to get to soccer, band, karate, etc. And don’t forget that somewhere in-between all of this the dog needs to go to the vet.

Over commitment is not healthy! When the entire family is being pulled in various directions, families find themselves too busy to be, well, a family. This can lead to families growing distant from one another, or detached because each member of the family leads a separate life. So with schedules packed and activities never- ending, how do we keep family bonds strong?

I believe we have to take a step back, slow down, and look at the big picture. What’s God’s view on this? Well, He did build a day of rest into creation as a gift to all of mankind. God gave us the seventh day to rest from our labors. God saw the need for rest so important that he actually scheduled it!

As a parent that means we may have to make some difficult decisions. Do the kids really need to be in three different after school activities at a time? Instead of soccer, karate, and band, can we cut that down to maybe just soccer and band? Children can feel busy too, but a lot of the time they don’t know how to express this to their parents. Consider dropping some activities as a relief to your child. Talk to them and see what they want to do, and find out what they like the most out of all the activities that they’re in.

We then have to look in the mirror and ask ourselves about the commitments we’ve made and how we can free up our schedules. This can be difficult, but most of the time people understand when you tell them that you need to free up time to be with family; probably because they are in the same situation. Lastly, you may have to say no. For some this can be a very complicated little word to say.

Once you’ve freed up that time, make family priority number one. Enjoy your family, have fun, play games and be active. If you think about all the time you spend working, you have to realize that you work for the ones you love. What fun is it to work your entire life but miss out on the most important aspect of your life? Family first means the entire family, and God should always be the center of that. So when you are enjoying your family time, remember God loves that so much that He actually created a day of rest for those moments.

Jeral Croaker
Family Life Credit Counselor