{"id":74411,"date":"2024-04-19T14:04:07","date_gmt":"2024-04-19T07:04:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thefinejournal.com\/?p=74411"},"modified":"2024-04-19T14:04:07","modified_gmt":"2024-04-19T07:04:07","slug":"make-family-time-a-priority","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thefinejournal.com\/make-family-time-a-priority\/","title":{"rendered":"Make Family Time a Priority"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style='\"font-size:'><strong>1. The family that travels together stays together\n<p><span style='\"font-size:'>An interesting study done by the University of Massachusetts Amherst found that families who travel together aren\u2019t just more bonded than their counterparts, but also that couples were less likely to divorce when they took vacations with their kids. By the way,<strong> \u201ctraveling\u201d doesn\u2019t have to mean <strong>\u201cgetting on a plane and heading off to an exotic locale.\u201d It can be something as simple as hopping on a bus and taking a free walking tour of your town. The key is to just experience a new place together. So, don\u2019t let money stop you from reaping this benefit.\n<p><span style='\"font-size:'><strong>2. Family vacations make your kids smarter\n<p><span style='\"font-size:'>True story! You can learn more about it here, but long story short, experts confirm that taking vacations together boosts your children\u2019s brain power! It makes sense if you think about it. Anything that shakes up your usual routine gives your brain a chance to learn something totally new.\n<p><span style='\"font-size:'><strong>3. That post-vacation glow is contagious!\n<p><span style='\"font-size:'>Experts found that people who come home from vacation feeling all relaxed and happy help spread those good feelings to others around them. What does that mean for you as a family? Basically, you\u2019ll be feeding off each other\u2019s positive energy and helping those happy vibes remain long after you\u2019ve put away the last of your vacation laundry.\n<p><span style='\"font-size:'><strong>4. Just eating dinner together can keep your teen on the right track\n<p><span style='\"font-size:'>Those that can\u2019t get away for a long vacation (or even a quick weekend getaway), take heart. This study (which is actually a study of multiple studies) found that, in families that eat dinner together regularly, teens were less likely to smoke, drink, or use drugs. According to researchers, \u201cYoung people whose families routinely eat meals together spend more time on homework and reading for pleasure Frequent family meals have also been related to better nutritional intake and a decreased risk for unhealthy weight control practices, substance use, sexual intercourse, and suicidal involvement.\u201d\n<p><span style='\"font-size:'><strong>5. Spending time with you is important for your teen\u2019s well-being\n<p><span style='\"font-size:'>Speaking of teens, a 2012 Penn State University study found two interesting things. First, despite being famous for their independent streak, most teens today do continue to spend time with their families. Second- and most important- the time they share with their parents and other adult caregivers is actually very important for their overall well-being.\n<p><span style='\"font-size:'><strong>6. Getting outdoors together helps your child focus better\n<p><span style='\"font-size:'>Research shows that just spending 20 minutes outdoors together helps improve your child\u2019s overall concentration. It makes sense if you think about it because you\u2019re giving them screen-free time to use their own imaginations and really connect with the world around them. Plus, there\u2019s just something about fresh air to chase away brain fog and invigorate your mind, body, and spirit.\n<p><span style='\"font-size:'><strong>7. Spending time with your kids makes you more compassionate\n<p><span style='\"font-size:'>Family time isn\u2019t just great for your kids, it can make YOU a better adult. At least, that\u2019s what one series of experiments found. Adults who spend time with children are kinder, more compassionate, and more generous. As clinical psychologist, Desreen N. Dudley told VeryWell, <strong>\u201cThe suggestion is that children may hold the key to influencing more positive decisions that adults make that can benefit society as a whole.\u201d\n<p><span style='\"font-size:'><strong>8. Quality time helps moms learn to communicate with babies better\n<p><span style='\"font-size:'>If you\u2019re suffering from major mom guilt because you can\u2019t figure out why your newborn is crying, this may help ease your mind. Moms do not have an innate ability to decipher their baby\u2019s cries, according to this Cell Press study. It\u2019s actually something we have to learn, and the only way we can really do that is to spend time with our babies. That doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t work outside the home or ever leave your infant\u2019s side, though, so don\u2019t take it the wrong way. That way leads to even more guilt! To me, it means being present when you\u2019re with your baby, and spending some one-on-one time bonding.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>1. The family that travels together stays together An interesting study done by the University of Massachusetts Amherst found that families who travel together aren\u2019t just more bonded than their counterparts, but also that couples were less likely to divorce when they took vacations with their kids. By the way, \u201ctraveling\u201d doesn\u2019t have to mean\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":74415,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[642],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-74411","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-moral-story"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thefinejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Make-Family-Time-a-Priority.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefinejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefinejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefinejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefinejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefinejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74411"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thefinejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74411\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefinejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefinejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefinejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefinejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}</p></span></p></strong></span></p></strong></span></p></strong></span></p></span></p></strong></span></p></span></p></strong></span></p></span></p></strong></span></p></span></p></strong></span></p></span></p></strong></span></p></strong></strong></span></p></strong></span></p>