G.I.V.E. Get Involved, Volunteer in Education

Time Well Spent

This is the fifth article in a six part series on the virtues of Building Assets by Rachel M. Loeper, Parents' Source, May 20, 2002.

"This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind...let it be something good." - Author Unknown

Choose to talk to a child today. Young people need a number of relationships and diverse activities, both inside and outside of the home, in order to bring them balance, opportunities for connections, confidence, support, and growth.Search Institute, a research organization in Minneapolis, MN, found that when a child has a healthy and diverse balance of activities (including creative projects, youth programs, involvement in a religious community, and time at home), he or she is more likely to grow up healthy.

Did you know?

The average high school graduate will have spent 15,000 to 18,000 hours in front of a television but only 12,000 hours in school - and even fewer hours with their families.Kids want more family time. Three-quarters of the children who watch more than two hours of TV each day say if they could choose between spending time with their families and watching TV, they would choose family time.Let's run with those numbers!

• The next time your child whines boredom, lock her in a room (not literally!) with some paints, clay, musical instruments, old magazines, and craft materials - anything to provoke creativity. You'll be shocked by what interests develop as she discovers the "Creative Activities" asset.
• Integrate the arts into family time by making a monthly museum date, or trekking to New York to see a play or musical over Christmas or during the summer.
• Expose your child to the diversity of youth groups that he can join, and you will implement the "Youth Programs" asset. Some examples include career education groups, conservation groups, ethnic heritage groups, political organizations, peace and global understanding groups, programs affiliated with museums and libraries, self-help groups, service and sports organizations, and many more.
• If your child's school or community does not offer a club for her specialty, help her start an amateur astronomer's club, cooking club, or photographer's club.
• Give children the support of a religious community. If your own faith has waxed and waned over the years, see a new family as an opportunity for a new beginning. Choose your new community carefully, and make the journey as a family.
• The "Religious Community" asset can be a touchy one. Approach it with care when discussing it with teenagers. If they have opted not to attend services at the place where you worship, show them that you respect their views by attending the service of a different congregation together.
• If your children are not opposed to practicing religion, make it easy on them. Give them options such as attending a later service, sitting with their friends rather than your family, or wearing what they want (within reason, of course!)
• Foster the "Time at Home" asset by supporting as many of their interests as you can without burning them out. Remember that kids need time to relax too, and while routine may be comforting, there should be time set aside to just unwind.
• If the ideal scenario of everyone gathered around the dinner table doesn't work for your family, be comforted by merely knowing that your child spends time at home, even if it is just to read a book in his room or watch cartoons in the family room. Ask your son to read his book downstairs while you read yours, and then discuss both plots. Or just sit with your daughter as she watches her favorite cartoons. Afterward, ask her which characters she likes and why. Think back to when you were younger. What were some of the most meaningful and memorable ways that you spent your time? What activities could youth participate in today so they could enjoy similar experiences? Begin to talk to the children you know about the ways that you spent your time, and the way they spend theirs.

Food for Thought 1. How many hours a week do you spend in theater, band, sculpting class, or other creative activities? Would you like to be spending more or less time in these activities? 2. What youth programs are you involved in? Are there any others that you would like to join? 3. Are you happy with your religious affiliation? If you are not involved in a religious community, what would make it an appealing experience for you? 4. Do you spend two or less nights per week out with your friends "with nothing special to do"? 5. Is your time at home interesting and meaningful? How could you make it more so?

By spending your time sup-porting young people, you will show them what it means to make constructive use of their time. Having a diverse balance of positive ways to spend their time gives young people opportunities to build relationships with caring peers and adults, chances to expand their skills and experiences, and safe places to feel accepted. And to think, it could start with a few moments stolen with your own children, or a casual call to your niece across town. It could start today!

A complete list of the 40 assets can be found on Parentssource.com. This article was submitted by Rachel M. Loeper of the Healthy Communities/Healthy Youth Initiative at United Way of Berks County. For more information on the 40 assets and the local HCHY initiative, contact Sharon Mast at the United Way, 610-685-4574 or sharonm@uwberks.org.

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