Family Time Speech. It’s 10 o’clock.
Do you know where your children are? We usually laugh at this question because most parents do know where their children are, but do they know what they are doing or who they are with? If there was a problem in their child’s life, would they recognize it in time to intervene? Unfortunately, most parents do not spend enough time with their children to notice things like this. Gary Stroope, a pastor from Coral Gables, FL, says, I’ve never seen a generation so parentless.” Pope John Paul II is also concerned about the direction that family life is taking.
He spoke about it on his recent visit to St. Louis, saying, As the family goes, so goes the nation. The family is the cornerstone of society. We need to build up family life.” In order to increase parent awareness of their child’s behavior, promote family values, and develop simple social skills, families need to gather together on a routine basis, and one of the best ways to do this is to reinstitute family dinners. I chose this topic because I see the effects that a lack of family time has had on my family and myself. Additionally, I see so many problems that teens have and how they could be solved by more family time.
I wonder how many of these seriously troubled teens that we hear about in the news could have been reached if their family had been more aware. For example, one of my close friends has been battling clinical depression for the past three years, and her family didn’t know until she attempted suicide this past summer. Even I noticed changes in her behavior, such as drastic mood swings and her dreary outlook on life. I even noticed that her eating and sleeping habits changed. Changes like this could be noticed sooner by more family togetherness. This even applies to less serious issues as well.
For example, it took my grandfather, who is my guardian, more than a month to realize that I had not been eating dinner. When he finally did realize, he asked me if I was trying to be anorexic. I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from laughing. If I had been anorexic, it would have been time to drive me to the hospital before he noticed. Even small things like this could be noticed if there was a set time when families gathered together to have a meal. Another important function of family time is the passing on of family values.
When I was a child, my mother would eat dinner with me in front of the TV. Now I know that this is not the ideal picture of a family dinner, but at least she was there. We would talk about how my day went or what we were watching, and even at a young age, I was having discussions with my mom about current events. She gave me the value system that I have today. But I also have an eight-year-old brother, and he has not had the support and guidance of my mother, and I worry about him a lot. My grandfather just sits him down in front of the TV and lets him fend for himself.
There is a noticeable difference between us. People speak of the nation’s deteriorating morals and say that TV is causing it. I think part of this statement is true, but parents are also to blame for not teaching their children morals and letting TV do all the work. My brother has a harsh attitude towards life in general. When someone gets shot in a movie or on TV, it doesn’t even faze him. I really think that comes from not having a strong parental figure there to explain to him what is right and wrong.
At the very least, family time can teach basic social skills. Simple family dinners can teach children basic communication skills and manners. Ms. Meikle and Mrs. Mullins conclude that in order to become productive adults, children need the guidance of parents and/or other family members. They need to be taught how to make right decisions, and someone needs to notice when they are having trouble or are in trouble. They also need to be taught morals and values.
They need to be taught basic social skills, and one of the best ways to do this is through family contact time.
