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Date: 12/10/2004 10:51:00 AM
From Authorid: 36700
I went to school with people who had family night and did stuff like that, they were mormon. |
Date: 12/10/2004 10:55:00 AM
From Authorid: 62675
Alot of families do them and incorporated them into life when the kids got to a certain age say 5 so the kid is used to it and expects it. I think it is a great idea to bring famlies closer in this rush rush age. It is just me and my son so every night is family night. But if I had a spouse I would insist on a night it was just me and him a week and a night when the three of us did something, played a game or watched a movie or whatever!  |
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Date: 12/10/2004 10:57:00 AM
From Authorid: 62675
So while you may be weirded out if you parents came home and said family night, these other families would be weired out if they didn't have one. It is all in the way you are raised. |
Date: 12/10/2004 11:00:00 AM
From Authorid: 61897
I don't see anything wrong with it.  |
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Date: 12/10/2004 11:01:00 AM
From Authorid: 61897
It sounds more beneficial than harmful *shrugs* |
Date: 12/10/2004 11:46:00 AM
From Authorid: 42259
Yeah,definitely dorky! Kids learn their "lessons" from everyday life.Not that I'm against spending time with your family,I'm all for it, but it shouldn't have to be scheduled.It's better for it to just happen.  |
Date: 12/10/2004 11:59:00 AM
From Authorid: 58308
We have family nights but not to that extent. A "family night" for us is dinner and a movie and the frequency of them is not very often anymore (teenagers seem to have their own things going on).  |
Date: 12/10/2004 11:59:00 AM
From Authorid: 18527
It's very common in Mormon families. We would have game night maybe twice a month which was fun. (we aren't mormon)  |
Date: 12/10/2004 12:00:00 PM
From Authorid: 43807
I think its a cool idea. I wish my family would have done something like it, maybe we still would be a family.  |
Date: 12/10/2004 12:31:00 PM
From Authorid: 62876
I don't think that is corny. It is a good idea. Although my children are still small, so every night is family night - I would like to make sure we spend time together when they are teenagers, and eat dinner together...HipChik  |
Date: 12/10/2004 1:15:00 PM
From Authorid: 15228
Growing up my family had a family game night once a week. We didn't have object lessons, we just played games and ate snacks. I think it's a good idea, everyone can change the concept to fit their lifestyle.  |
Date: 12/10/2004 3:07:00 PM
From Authorid: 31673
We did this all the time when I was growing up. I'll admit as a teenager, most of the time I thought it was lame. But my mother was terminally ill and it was important to her that we have Family Home Evening every Monday night... so I went along with it. Even during my "Athiest" stage when I didn't want to learn about churchy stuff. My sister now does this every Monday night with her family. Her kids actually look forward to it and sometimes even fight over who gets to teach the lesson. I think children WANT quality time with their parents and it's a good time for parents to teach children the important lessons of life. For example... one night, my sister made a nice dinner then went over how to properly set the table with her kids. Then once the table was set, they ate dinner together and she taught them about proper table manners. This was a couple years ago, and the kids still remember and remind each other all the time what is good table manners and what is not. So, maybe it seems corny, but I think it can be quality time that a family can be together. If my family didn't do it, I wouldn't have all the fond memories of my mother that I carry with me every where I go. Memories of the activites we did and the lessons she taught me. Sometimes when we we get together, my brothers and sisters and I will spend hours laughing hysterically at our funny memories of Family Home Evening moments. I'm so glad my family did it, and I will definitely do it with my children when I have them.  |
Date: 12/10/2004 3:35:00 PM
From Authorid: 47218
to me, "family night" means hanging out with your family for the evening doing fun stuff like playing games, which is totally cool and probably makes for a more functional family. Having organized "lessons," however, seems like overkill. The kids get enough of that in school. I imagine that these children are going to become extremely anal retentive as they grow up, wanting structure out of everything. But whatever floats their boat.  |
Date: 12/10/2004 3:41:00 PM
From Authorid: 24319
I think it's a good idea when the kids are younger, and have to be in the house at 8 at night. I also would think that it MIGHT make the bond with child and parent a little stronger. I know a lot of people who say "My parents never did anything with me." Of course, once the children are teenagers they aren't so much going to want a "family night" when they could be out with friends, till their curfew, if they even have one.  |
Date: 12/10/2004 3:55:00 PM
From Authorid: 53284
We have always had fun with our family. We didn't have to have a special night to do stuff together. Those kind of things just seemed to happen on a regular basis. I think familys doing things together is a wonderful idea.  |
Date: 12/10/2004 3:57:00 PM
From Authorid: 62265
I don't think it is a bad idea at all. It's brings families closer together. But my family, we don't make it too major ar anything like object lessons, props and visuals. Like Zeebs, we just go out to a movie and dinner or the Rec Center or something...  |
Date: 12/10/2004 7:22:00 PM
From Authorid: 11240
I'm not one to "schedule" such a thing, but as I was growing up and now that I have kids, it is very common for us to have family nights. For us now, it is mostly card games which I don't think need to have a specific lesson attached -- strategy, timing, reading other people, learning to lose graciously, math skills, memory, etc., are all "lessons" learned when interacting in this type of way. God Bless.  |
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Date: 12/10/2004 7:23:00 PM
From Authorid: 11240
And you can call it corny all you like, but what I call corny is wrapping yourself up in false stimuli and not participating in "family life". God Bless. |
Date: 12/10/2004 8:05:00 PM
From Authorid: 35720
I know a family that does that, but they have no grip or sense of reality.  |
Date: 12/11/2004 12:56:00 AM
From Authorid: 16671
Dorky? Nope, if more families would interact together, I think it would help in lots of areas. We had family Sunday, nope my family was not at that time believers, but on sunday dad would take us for a ride in the mountains, we would stop and eat chicken that mom cooked and then we children would take nature walks, later we would go home tired as heck and basically watch , I think it was Ed sullivan show. I didn't have so much family night with the kids as they were growing up, didnt like to preplan things, but for the most part thursdays was pizza and movie night. As they got older, and we became believers, we had bible study for a while everynight, the kids friends as well as ours would come over, and we would make the lesson short but informative, with them interacting and then most nights we would either have water fights, or shaving cream fights, or all dress up and black and go play war outside with the waterguns. Of course the guys wanted to use their bb guns, but that was a no no. You should try a family night, dont know what your missing. Life is too short.RIKA, you can not base ONE family on the lives of millions that do like to interact with their families.  |
Date: 12/11/2004 6:57:00 AM
From Authorid: 22852
well actually my 13 year old son wanted to start a "Family Game Night" we are not religious people but we do a lot of things together as a family. I myself think it is a great thing for families to do things together, makes for a stronger bond and great memories and what better way to know your family then to be with them and actually learn about them. Do you really "know" your family memebers? I know a few years ago I would have to say no, but today I could say yes, I know them as the people they really are not just as a family member. I say thumbs up for family night.  |
Date: 12/11/2004 6:03:00 PM
From Authorid: 51070
We never had these. It sounds so 1950's, so Leave it to Beaver. My parents are divorced anyway (they separated when I was 3) and if they would have had these, I swear, I would have puked.  |
Date: 12/13/2004 6:34:00 AM
From Authorid: 59163
if you have to set aside time and schedule time to be with your family you've already more than likely failed as a family  |
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Date: 12/15/2004 9:41:00 AM
From Authorid: 31673
Dagon, that statment makes it obvious that you have never been a parent with two or three or four or more children. Holding down a full time job, getting kids to baseball practice and dance class and piano lessons and Doctor appointments and Dentist appointments and preparing their meals and helping them get their homework done, all while trying to maintain your own marriage and personal life. I imagine it's even harder for single parents. Making the effort to set aside some quality family time, in whatever form that takes, is hardly a sign of failure. |
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Date: 12/15/2004 11:24:00 AM
From Authorid: 47218
agree with Melodious-- the fact that you are planning time with your family indicates that you are making an effort-- anything but a sign of failure. There are few things in life that just happen-- most thing require planning, effort and maintenence. Maintaining a happy family is no different. In fact, it is probably the most laborous of all tasks (but well rewarding in the end). |
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Date: 12/16/2004 10:16:00 AM
From Authorid: 59163
of course you all agree with Melodious. thats why america is in a shambles. i grew up in a poor family with two working parents and had siblings yet we managed to find time to spend together and made the family work. if you cant, its because you've failed. |
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Date: 12/16/2004 11:45:00 AM
From Authorid: 47218
planning to spend time with your family is not the same as failing to do it. |
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Date: 12/16/2004 4:09:00 PM
From Authorid: 31673
"yet we managed to find time to spend together and made the family work" - isn't that what Family Night is?? finding time to spend together and make the family work? And, I agree with Mollycat. |
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Date: 12/16/2004 4:14:00 PM
From Authorid: 31673
Just because your family did it informally and other families choose to be more formal about it doesn't mean your family was a success and the others were failures. If one family chooses to have a set time and to include some type of object lesson, that doesn't make it less meaningful than a family who doesn't. I think whatever works for a particular family is great... those families who chose to be more formal about it are hardly failures. |
Date: 12/16/2004 4:54:00 PM
From Authorid: 3125
The point is to get the family to do things together as a family. I think it is a good thing. When my children were growing up, we often played games, went on picnics together, had cook outs, went on nature walks, wrestled, had "treasure hunts", etc. When they became teenagers, we did have one special evening when we would all openly discuss any problem, or complains, or anything else we wanted to talk about. The goal was to help one another and to teach them that it is best to discuss things and to settle them instead of fighting and arguing about them, which never settles anything. Now you got me missing the good ole days.   |
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Date: 12/17/2004 6:01:00 AM
From Authorid: 59163
no, "family night" is labeling time that you set aside, or is so rare that it bears a name. if you have to set aside time to be a family, you have failed as a family and are more than likely putting a band aid on a bad situation. of course what do i know. my parents have been married for going on 30 years. |
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Date: 12/17/2004 10:15:00 AM
From Authorid: 47218
either way, whether you label it or not, keeping a family going requires planning and effort. For the vast majority of us, things don't just work themselves out-- they require some forethought. And I would be willing to bet that your parents are no different. You just don't realize it, since you aren't on the planning side of it. |
47162 Category:(Debate) Created:(12/10/2004 10:48:00 AM)