Are you spending enough quality time with your family?
Worried you’re not getting your work-home balance right? Find out why you’re not alone – and how to spend more quality time with your family.
As a working parent, it can be difficult to strike the perfect work-home balance. You know that it’s important to spend time together as a family, but you worry that you’re neglecting quality family time in favour of work, or in some cases, vice versa.
But you’re not alone – spending high quality time with our families is exceedingly difficult as a new study has realised.
40% of parents prioritise work in the evenings
The study has revealed that 40% of British parents admit to working prioritising their work on an evening at least once a week. For those busy mums (or dads!) who own their own business and perhaps work from home on occasions, it can be easy to work past 5 o’clock.
One of the easiest ways to keep the kids entertained on an evening is by relying on services like REV broadband, and allowing them time on an electronic device, whether it’s playing games on a tablet, games console or by letting them watch their favourite television programme.
In fact, the study has found that 60% of parents admit that their children spend up to four hours a day on technology. It’s not always an ideal activity choice, but when you have deadlines creeping up, it can sometimes be your saviour.
Despite the lack of quality time spent with our families, most relatives do find the time to eat together as a family. Eating together allows us to be able to talk about our days, see what the kids have been up to at school and to spend some time strengthening those close knit bonds.
How can you spend more quality time with your family?
There’s no shame in admitting that work can take over family time. A new family time planner, Family First, includes some great tips on how to reclaim the work-home balance. Here are four.
1) Cook together
A great way to spend time together as a family is to cook together. It is such a valuable experience for children of all ages, as it teaches them a range of skills from writing a shopping list to communication. It also helps picky eaters to become more adventurous.
2) Get into nature
At home, we are constantly bothered by distractions. Getting outside and into nature is a brilliant way for a family to bond without being hassled by the demands of the modern world. Take a simple stroll through a nearby woodland to see what natural treasures you can find.
3) Build a den
Den making is a fun activity you can do together which results in your own unique family space. Whether it’s indoors with pillows, throws and your kitchen table ready to watch your favourite film together, or outdoors with branches, blankets and tarpaulin for creating an adventure, it’s the perfect activity to get everyone’s creative juices flowing.
4) Have a games night
Set aside three days per week where you have a plan to do something as a family. It is always a nice idea to have family game night with a selection of board games and it really allows your children to think strategically.
You can read more tips on how to spend quality time with your family in the Family First planner.
Photo by Jenn Evelyn-Ann
