- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- preschoolers today articles
- preschoolers today q&a
- children today articles
- children today q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Is Family Time Overrated?
The Importance of Individualized Attention
By Kelly Burgess
Not that anyone is trying to permanently break up the family into little offshoots, but the need for individual attention can't be lost in the great cry for everyone to come to dinner.
One on One Time"We don't have many family dinners because my husband works two jobs, and everyone is always running in different directions," says Bailey. "What we do instead is family movie nights and other activities where we can talk and bond, and we use those opportunities to teach our children how to be together as part of a community."
However, when it comes to teaching her 5-year-old to ride a bike or helping the kids with schoolwork, she says one-on-one time is the only thing that really works.
"You can't learn to ride a bike as a family or help someone with their reading if there's several other people around distracting the learner," says Bailey. "I think [children] need both family and one-on-one time, but the family time thing really seems to get the big emphasis these days."
