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2012
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“The classic thing you’ll see is a family at a
restaurant, and both kids and both parents are not
engaging at all because they’re all on their phones
or their electronic equipment. You’ve got
to put those away and spend time with
each other.”
Both Puff and Ginsburg
agree that families should take
technology holidays and power down
electronics during special family
times such as dinnertime, weekend
outings and vacations.
“Technology is really addictive,”
says Ginsburg. “Every beep feels like a
popularity contest.”
ConneCt with Kids
eleCtroniCally
While parents should limit electronic
screen time, they must also recognize that the
digital world is here to stay. Teens’ preferred
method of communication is through text-
messaging and online social networking sites such
as Facebook. A 2008 Samsung Mobile survey
reported that more than half of teens who text
their parents believe it has strengthened their
relationship. And about half of parents say it has
opened up communication channels with their kids.
involved Parenting Builds
enduring ConneCtions
When parents take time off to relax and
recharge, kids learn that taking care of themselves
is important. Puff says modeling plays a critical role
in raising healthy kids: If parents work through
weekends and vacations and are constantly stressed
out and on their cellphones, kids are likely to
follow their example.
“It’s not what we tell them to do,” says Puff.
“It’s what we do.”
Spending quality time together is like glue that
creates a lasting bond between parents and kids.
In the last decade, a number of studies have shown
that kids who regularly spend time with their
parents do better in school, have fewer behavioral
problems, experience less emotional distress and are
less likely to engage in violent behavior.
“The essence of connection is that kids feel
listened to; they feel like they matter; they feel like
the adult genuinely adores them. And you don’t
have to wait for summer vacation to have those
moments.They can happen during dinner; they
can happen on a walk in a park; they can happen in
a car drive,” says Ginsburg. “When you’re talking
about building resilience in kids, meaning making
it so that kids can overcome challenges and thrive,
there is absolutely nothing more important than a
loving, reliable connection with parents.”
“The essence of connection is
that kids feel listened to; they feel
like they matter; they feel like the
adult genuinely adores them.”
Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg, adolescent medicine specialist
reboot & reconnect
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DID YOU KNOW?
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France requires companies to offer a minimum of six weeks of paid time-off to their employees.
Strengthen the Body and
Mind through exerciSe
Combining playtime and physical activities
helps promote total mind-body health. Parents
will not only strengthen their relationship, but also
their entire family’s cardiovascular system, muscles
and bones, and coordination. Everyday activities
such as jumping rope, dancing, shooting hoops or
playing tag can help burn off stress, prevent obesity
and make everyone sleep better at night.
With the down economy, staycations—staying
at home, but taking day trips to local attractions—
has gained popularity. Families can visit water
parks or museums, go horseback riding or ice-
skating, or scale rock walls without having to
leave town.
Food BringS
FaMilieS together
One of the most powerful yet simple
ways of connecting with kids is by sitting
down at the family dinner table together.
A 2011 study from the National Center on
Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA)
shows that teens who have fewer than three
meals a week with their family are more
likely to smoke, drink or use marijuana, and
are nearly four times more likely to say they
plan to try drugs in the future, compared to
those teens who have five to seven family
meals each week.
“Meals and food among all cultures is so
important. You’re not just nourishing your
body; you have an opportunity to nourish your
mind, your spirit and share things from the day,”
says Felicia Stoler, DCN, registered dietician
and exercise physiologist in Holmdel, N.J. To
encourage more bonding, Stoler advises parents
to avoid disciplining kids at the dinner table or
discussing emotionally charged topics.
Reaping the benefits of family meals is not
limited to dinnertime. Breakfast and lunch count,
too, and so does eating at a restaurant or picnicking
at a park. If parents’ work schedules make family
meals difficult, finding other quality time to
connect can be just as effective.
take technology holidayS
One of the obstacles to spending more
family time together is the incessant use of
cellphones, TVs, computers and video consoles.
According to a 2010 Kaiser Family Foundation
study, kids ages 8 to 18 spend an average of more
than seven and a half hours per day on electronic
entertainment, not including time spent texting
and talking on their cellphone.
“The biggest distraction in our world these days
is anything electronic,” says Robert Puff, Ph.D.,
clinical psychologist
in Newport Beach, Calif.,
and author of “Raising
Healthy Children
and Teenagers.”
“The biggest distraction
in our world these days is
anything electronic.”
robert Puff, Ph.D., clinical psychologist