Family time is important to building family relationships and helping children develop. It establishes well-being, positive emotions, and family commitment. For example, in families who spend more quality time together, young children tend to have better achievement and behavioral outcomes and teenagers tend to be involved in less risky behavior.

The important thing about family time is that it be as positive and stress free as possible; family time should be a time where all members of the family pay attention and care about the needs of other family members. Family time is time to affirm the identity of the family as a group by talking, sharing experiences and making meaning together in a loving way.

However, it's easy to become too idealistic about family time. In reality, there will be times when family time goes well and times when it is more challenging. The key thing is to try to work together to make it as positive as possible. Indeed, research shows that when family members are emotionally committed to regular family time, they also feel a sense of love and belonging to the family.

Family time means different things to different families, but what is common to all families is that finding time to be together can be challenging. Even though families want time together, they often hope it happens spontaneously... understandably, they don't want family time to become one more thing on an already-packed list of scheduled activities. It's important to keep family time enjoyable and not let it become stressful. However, research tells us that regular, predictable family routines are advantageous to child development. A compromise is to set aside certain times that the family will be together, but allow some of the specific activities to be spontaneous. Remember, family time is not about idealistic, grand activities but about regular togetherness that everyone can count on.

For example, many families find time for each other...

• at mealtime. Family mealtime is an excellent time to be together... and although it can take some planning to get everyone to the table at the same time, meals can be short and the food doesn't need to be fancy. The important thing is that the family sat down together for a few minutes as a group. "Most of the time the meals aren't fancy, but we make a point of sitting together and talking about our days and talking about what's happening tomorrow."
• at bedtime. Bed time is a good time for parents and children to share a few quiet moments together. You can read a story, say a prayer, or discuss the day... just as long as you do it together.
• in the car. Time in the car is perfect family time because you are together. Even a short ride is time enough to talk about everyone's day, play a game ("Just like when I was a kid, we played the license plate game"), or sing a song together.
• on the weekend. It pays to set aside some time for family time. You can include both structured time ("We go to church together every Sunday") and unstructured time ("We all know that Saturday 4 - 6 is family time.") that you can decide how to spend on the spot.
• at home. A common misconception about family time is that it needs to be a big, planned activity outside of the home. Family time can be time set aside for the family to be together at home. "We split up into teams and made up little skits; it was a lot of fun!"
• outside. There are tons of fun activities available for families outside: walking, hiking, biking, camping, sledding, swimming, etc. "If it's nice out, we like to take a walk around the neighborhood and just talk about what we see."

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If you're a parent with a child with asthma, you may be eligible to participate in the Family Life and Asthma Project.

We are currently recruiting families who have children with asthma, aged 5-12 years. Participation in this study lasts for 6 weeks. Your child must have had a diagnosis for at least 1 year, and be prescribed a medication for their asthma. Evening appointments are available, and we meet at our research lab located right near the University.

We provide free dinner, childcare and transportation (if necessary) and monetary reimbursement for your time.

Call (315) 443-3664 now for more information!