How do you spend your family time?

[paqua17]

Our kids are getting older, they are participating in more activities, work is always busy, grandparents/uncles/aunts demand some time... but what about us and our immediate families?

To this point my wife and I spend quite a bit of time with our kids but rarely are we all together at one time enjoying company as a group. We've been chatting about setting aside time each week to get this started (ex. Friday night movies). What are some things you all do as families where it is just you, your significant other and your kids spending time together?

[frozensparky]

Because I only get my boy 50% of the time I really do try to make it quality time. Usually we will go swimming at the community pool, camping and quading in the summertime. We are talking about teaching Logan how to snowboard this winter. He learned how to ride a bike this summer so we do that often as well. We will watch movies or tv together but if you want to do it for family closeness I would suggest games or something you can really converse with the kids while you do it

[MyNemisis]

First and foremost, dinner every night, at the dining room table, tv and radio off.

A lot of Friday nights (not all) we go to a movie. During summer, we will often go for a walk / bike ride together. Usually my wife and I walking, my son on his bike (also got the training wheels off this past year).

Sometimes while mom is in the shower, he will come up with "shows" or songs or dances we need to put on for her when she's done. He's 6 almost 7, so I really just kind of listen to what he wants to do on a day to day.

Bigger things of course we plan. Zoo, museums, we went rock climbing & he loved it, fishing, etc.

You'll find it's not always what you do with the time, but what you make of it.

[mslman71]

With a 3 and 4 year old I'm still in almost a pure management/referee mode. Family time generally consists of them trying to kill each other, impale themselves on something, or burn my house down and me trying to stop them.

I've been shopping for a travel trailer. I think by next year, or maybe the year after, we can start to do more fun things as a unit. The kids are pretty good one-on-one though. I took my son down to the rocket center last month and he really seemed to enjoy it.

[happywithit]

I share my toddler with his dad.

I take him swimming once a week where we go on the water slides and all the other water rides.
Then he has this love of going on buses and trains so we go somewhere on a bus or train.
We also go to the dry ski slope to practice every now and again, since my sister lives in the Swiss Alps so we visit once a month.

The swimming and travelling is free right now, and toddlers thankfully don't have expensive taste.

I have no doubt as he gets older his preferences of what he finds enjoyable will change........ expensively (but I do hope he continues to enjoy skiing since that won't be overly expensive with us staying with my sister- fingers are crossed).

On the evenings his dad has him, I work my butt off to make sure I can fund hobbies as he gets older when they will no doubt get more expensive.

[67Vert]

I'm usually at the gym. But I post pics on ******** and the kids can "like" them. I think it sets a good example for them.

Really though. My kids are 6 and 8. Weekdays, I take them to school in the AM 3 days a week. Sometimes early enough to hang out and play. Not much time for play on weekday evenings. Two of those, I hit the gym and get home just in time to send the kids to bed. Two other days, I usually help with homework, baths, etc. Sometimes we have time left to play.

After the kids go to bed, it's time for me and the wife. But before that, we have to clean up and get ready for the next day. And my wife is in school, so she studies alot. But we still manage to get some time in together.

Friday is family night out, we go out together as a family. Sat/Sun is all family time for whatever, work on home projects, boy plays soccer, my daughter is in school play this year, I help with the set, parties, etc..

[mcbourque]

My boys are now almost 12 and 14 and we used to do more as a family when they were little (the zoo and stuff like that) but now my husband take them out a lot to do boy things that I don't care for, such as fishing on his small boat, chopping wood, camping without tents, throwing knives in the backyard (!), building some project, fixing the car and stuff around the house and so on.

I take my oldest with me to the gym and in a few month, my youngest will be allowed to come too. (They've been asking to be allowed to lift weights at the gym since they were 5!)

We all like the same types of movies and we usually get the fireplace going, make pizza and watch something together on the weekend or walk to a local coffeeshop for breakfast on Sundays.

I also try to limit their after school activities so we just have time to to hang out at home at night with no pressure.

[Jtbny]

With a 3 and 4 year old I'm still in almost a pure management/referee mode. Family time generally consists of them trying to kill each other, impale themselves on something, or burn my house down and me trying to stop them.

I've been shopping for a travel trailer. I think by next year, or maybe the year after, we can start to do more fun things as a unit. The kids are pretty good one-on-one though. I took my son down to the rocket center last month and he really seemed to enjoy it.

This just about describes my life ATM. Two kids 3 and 1 1/2 and they are a handful when together. Separate they are well behaved.

[Joog]

We have two children; 3 and 4 year old boys.
We have a cooked breakfast 7 days a week together. Weekdays, the kids are in bed by 7ish and we don't get home till pretty late in the arvo. The kids know weeknights are Mum and Dad time...
Weekends we tend to stay home on the property...we may all go out for a picnic on the 4 wheeler, or the kids will "help" in the shed working on vehicles (bike/backhoe/tractor/mower) or around the house.
We take the kids swimming every Saturday morning and sometimes, afterwards, take them for a walk and coffee (....they have babychino's....frothy milk)
My wife and I both make sure we have some 1 on 1 time with either of the kids, regularly.
We also ensure we get some 1 on 1 outings, ourselves (dates) as well.

You gotta practise these things. Relationships take work and focus.
I see plenty of friends that get out of practice and it all falls apart. My wife works with families...basically teaching them how to relate. It's amazing how many parents have NFI!

[jjd975]

Dinner is a biggie for us. Outside of that its random. We do movies, board games, swim, basketball and so on. My boy is 15 and my daughter is 7, they are up for anything.

[mrdave614]

Kudos to you for being concerned enough about making a great impact on your family. We need more dads like you. We do a family game night on a night when we are super busy. We played a round of UNO or Ninja fight game. Those take less than 15 mins. But for days when we have more time, I love to take the family hiking. Sometimes the kids get a little bored so I give them a short list of things to find on the hike. Another big thing is just taking the time to talk and listen attentively. We spend so much time hurrying and rushing our kids around, we rarely give our kids the time the need to effectively express themselves. Have fun!

[67Vert]

10+ years later. Now my kids are older and I can relate to OP. I have to schedule Family Dinner just to get us all together.