Limiting Fun Nights

Limiting Fun Nights for kids is good parenting.  Do you believe that?  I think that is good parenting and a good idea.  When started early, kids will accept that it isn’t okay to go with the group whenever and wherever they wish.  By limiting the number of nights a week, they are out of the house; you help them make choices and be creative.  They will find very quickly that they can have someone over to their home and that that is another option.  Weeknights, in particular, should be monitored to ensure that kids are not just out running around without supervision.

Family time should also include meeting nights for various organizations they may be a part of and church activities.  Weekend fun nights should also be agreed upon in advance so that kids aren’t out both nights.  Why is this important?  Research from the Search Institute has shown that kids with the most significant resilience have parents who enforce this in the home.  Resilience creates a Teflon coating with kids that allows them to make good choices during those moments of choice.  To date, the research has included over three-million kids that live in small towns, suburbs, big cities, and in traditional, single–parent, and adoptive families; in poverty, the middle class, and affluence.   Kids with 31 or more assets make good choices and have higher achievement in school, which leads them to significant accomplishments as an adult.   See the Search Institutes website for more information: https:// www.search-institute.org.

Put your thinking cap on and design a Family Fun Night for the whole family.  It was the single more critical item missing from my family.  When families have fun together, they are more tolerant of each other, less imperative, and more forgiving.  They laugh together and have wholesome enjoyment as a family.  What a great idea, and what an excellent gift for your kids.  See the link below for some ideas on 7 Reasons Why Kids Need Family Fun Night – 7 Reasons Why Kids Need Family Fun Night (momtastic.com)

I challenge parents to sit with their young person, set some limits on fun nights, and then ensure that they do things together as a family, besides watching television.  You will be glad that you did when your kids grow up to be successful adults — spending time as a family is fleeting anyway, which ensures that you’re making the most of that time.

Another approach to this involves designating Family Fun Nights; click here 7 Reasons Why Kids Need Family Fun Night (momtastic.com)

I have another blog post from my series, What Kids Need: A Family with Love, click here What Kids Need: A Family with Love – Dr. Rich Patterson (pattersonphd.com)

Yours for Better Parenting,

Rich