Karen, who is nine years old, comes home to find her dinner placed on the table alone. Everyone else is too busy to sit with her, so she eats alone. Karen grows to dread dinner time at home, because it is so lonely.
Annie, who is also nine years old, comes home to find everyone sitting around the dinner table waiting for her. She sits down and enjoys a lovely dinner and conversation with her family. They discuss what happened throughout their day, how school was that day, and how well she did on her math test. Annie loves dinner time because she feels that her family cares about her and what she has done throughout the day.
Having a family time can make such a difference in a child’s life. Children need to be loved, and feel like they are important. God teaches us in the Bible that Children are a gift.
Proverbs 127:3-5 says
“Behold, children are a heritage from the lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate.”
Having a time allotted for family discussion and activities is a wonderful bonding experience. Family time also encourages open communication and discussion. Although different things are taking place in all of our lives, the things that may not seem important to us, may be important to someone else. When you engage in family time you have a chance to learn what it is that is truly important to your family. It also gives you an opportunity to become a closer knit family by encouraging each other when things get a little tough, and praising each other for a job well done.
The difference between Karen and Annie is that Karen feels that her family is too busy to care, and Annie knows that her family cares because she sees it daily. Even though, Karen’s family may love her very much, and care deeply for what is happening in her life, she doesn’t see it.
Family time does not have to be a family dinner every night; it can also be a family game night, or a family quiet time together. You can get as creative as you like, maybe you want to gather in the sitting room with the television off and have a nice family conversation about the events form everyone’s day. Whatever your choice may be, rest assured that it will make a big difference in the closeness of your family, and will in turn make your family stronger.
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