Huntsville's Promise
Our Children Our Future
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Asset of the Week Time at Home Karin Williams: MD, and HISD Trustee Every other Wednesday, I pick up my kids from school and take two of them directly to their piano teacher's home. They have their piano lessons while I take my oldest daughter to her oboe lesson. When she is finished, I take her back to the piano teacher's house for her piano lesson. When all the lessons are finished, we go home for a quick bite to eat before loading ourselves back into the car for church activities. We have lots of days like this through the year--with soccer and swim practices, band practices, school programs, and other worthwhile activities. In recent years, researchers around the country have set out to prove the value of time spent at home. In a 2005 Columbia University survey, scientists reported that adolescents who had family dinner five or more times a week were 42 percent less likely to drink alcohol, 59 percent less likely to smoke cigarettes, and 66 percent less likely to try marijuana. Frequent family dinners were also associated with better school performance, and in other surveys with a decreased risk for unhealthy weight control practices and substance abuse.. The American Academy of Pediatrics published a report in January 2007 stating that children today need more time for free play. The report identifies factors that have reduced play in our children’s lives, including “a hurried lifestyle, changes in family structure, and increased attention to academics and enrichment activities at the expense of recess or free child-centered play”. Organized activities are also good for kids. According to the Society for Research in Child Development, kids who participate in organized activities perform better academically and are less likely to use drugs. And so what should we do for the children in our lives? A few years ago our city leaders chose to make Monday night a "family night" in Huntsville. The idea was that schools and community organizations would not schedule activities on Monday nights, but leave this night free for families to spend together. By encouraging this time at home, each family is investing in building healthy young people. In spite of the busy-ness of some of our days, we try to set aside one weeknight for family time. We mostly eat weeknight dinners at home, sometimes adjusting dinnertime to get everywhere we need to be. We try to take advantage of our Sundays as days of rest from our other activities. During spring break, the girls and I spent a day with my parents in Galveston. My daughters eagerly collected shells at the beach on that cool, beautiful day in March, and made big plans as they gathered for necklaces they could make and trinkets they could paint and create from their findings. I pass these two buckets of seashells every time I enter my home from the garage. Somehow, the seashells are still waiting for my girls to find some time between all their activities. It is all about balance. Our youth do need opportunities to participate in some organized activities they enjoy, but not at the cost of time at home. School is out, and summer vacation is the perfect time to begin. Start with one more family dinner a week. Play catch. Try a new recipe. Go for a walk after dinner. Play a board game. Make necklaces out of your spring break seashells. We will.
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