by the Editor     Most of us would agree that spending time together as a family is an important factor for creating a happy childhood and a healthy family environment.  A new survey shows just that … but  with all the work and school commitments faced by families today, how can we ensure that we are spending adequate quality time together?

A February 2011 survey launched  by consumer awareness campaign, Lifewise, shows that over half of parents (54%) spend under four hours a day on “parenting” and 75% of parents have felt guilty about not spending enough time with their children, with 66% saying they would like to spend more time with their children.

The online survey, commissioned by Lifewise*, was conducted Australia-wide among over 1200 parents with children under the age of 18.  The survey looked at various aspects of parenting, from parenting priorities to views of other parents’ behaviour.

The research also found that 96% of Australian parents believe spending time together as a family is an important factor for creating the ideal childhood – rating this higher than financial security (87%) and a good education (93%).  85% of stay-at-home parents think that children benefit emotionally from having one nonworking parent, compared to just 58% of full-time working parents who think the same thing.  One third of Australian parents would not give up their annual family holiday, even if it meant providing their children with financial security.

However, parents also recognise the importance of family income, with 73% of parents saying that if the main breadwinner of the family were unable to work, the family lifestyle would be impacted for the worse.

Launching the research, Lifewise Chairman, John Crosswell said: “Australian parents face a catch-22 in that they value the time they spend as a family but also recognise the importance of family income to the maintenance of the family lifestyle.

So what are some of the measures we can take to ensure that we spend some high quality time with the kids? 

Tahlia Mandie, counsellor, psychotherapist and director of Direction Exploring**, suggests these ideas.

• Dedicate some "family rituals" that are devoted to family time. Whether that be going to the market once a week or playing footy together. Kids want to know what they can expect of parents and how they will spend time with their mum and dad. 
• Family meal time needs to be a necessity - touching into each member of the family about how their day was, feelings, emotions, and concerns children may have.  Kids need to know that there is an opportunity to speak about these things openly. The simplicity of sitting down together as a family over a meal is something of great importance.
• If parents get home late from work, devote some special one-on-one time before bed.   A story, bath time together, or homework together.  It may not seem much to you, but for kids this can be the highlight of their day.
• Take your "work hat" off and put your "mum hat" on when you walk in the door, although it may be quite challenging for some, . You will be surprised how intuitive kids and how they know if you are only with them "half-half". When your with them, be with them! Turn off all work commitments, including checking mobile phones and emails.

Kids just want to know that they have special things they do with mum and dad and as a family. They want to know they are not forgotten. They want to know that certain "family rituals" still hold true even with life’s chaos going on.

*Lifewise is a life insurance consumer awareness campaign which aims to encourage Australians to protect themselves from the financial hardship that can result from unexpected events.

** Direction Exploring helps adolescents by inspiring, empowering and motivating them to find their potential and pathway while giving them more energy, confidence and belief in themselves and their abilities.  Link: DirectionExploring.com.au

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