Family time is very valuable. It was everything back in Druid times too. In the tribes, they were family. The elders held a very high place in the tribe, and the young ones listened and respected their elders. It really did take a tribe to raise a child back then. The women helped young girls with becoming women. The men helped to teach the boys to hunt and fish, to become men.
Now days it's not always that way. Elders blame parents, parents blame kids. I don't think it's really anyone's fault as much as the lifestyles of today. Everyone is busy, and when they are not busy it just seems like family time is too much of a hassle. I have seen that happen. Not being bad parents or anything, but really not noticing that they are not spending much time with their children. They use the excuse of no free time. That there is not enough time in the day.
These are the times that the children will remember tho. Yes, you will have free time, eventually they will grow, and give you more free time then you know what to do with. They will have their kids, and hopefully you have spent enough time and taught them how important that if for both the children and for the parents of the children.
At my home we have scary movie night. The importance of that goes back to my childhood. When I was younger Elvira was on Saturday nights at midnight. My family would either order pizza, make pizza, or we would have sandwiches and chips. We then would have popcorn, candy, chips while we watched scary movies all together and normally we watched whatever scary movie would be on after Elvira too. It stands out in my memory, it was fun, and my mom who worked alot always sat and watched it with us. On Friday the 13th we would get a bunch of scary movies, and watch them starting during the day all through the night. Recently my mom was telling my boys about it, and my boys got excited, because they knew Friday the 13th was coming up, and I had the whole Friday the 13th movie series lined up.
Every Saturday night we do scary movie night. Yea half the kids fall asleep, and some movies suck. The fact is that they know when Saturday night comes, it's something that they will never get grounded from. It's something they can count on. It's a time where even if they have frustrated the adults all of that will stop for a period of time and it will be a nice time with the family.
I know my kids will remember things we done together. Just like I have, they too will have kids and with their kids there will be scary movie night. They will remember not so much the movies themselves, but the time we have together. The fact that on Saturday nights they got to eat in the living room, and sleep on the couches, and the floor in the living room. They will fall asleep with their family, enjoying snacks, and hopefully a good movie.
We do alot with our kids. Picnics, camping out, scary movies. They go with us almost everywhere. Time may or may not be enjoyable. It will be remembered tho. They will know that each and everyone of them always will be special, and that we love them. Long after we are gone there will be memories shared about our time together. In a way our "Tribe" will live on. There will be times when they get on our nerves, but we will deal with it, not telling them to go away. Not ignoring their cries for attention.
Hopefully this will make a difference. A difference in the way they act and a difference in the way they treat people. Best of all it will make a difference in the way their kids are raised, and it will continue for generations to come.
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