The Importance of Spending Time as a Family

In the Anthony episode of X-Weighted Families Season 4, we saw how latchkey kid Anthony was suffering from being left alone to fend for himself, and the impact that had on his health. His parents, Sherri and Louis, lead busy lives and worked long hours. Through their X-Weighted journey, they realized the impact that their busy lives had on Anthony,  and made changes in order to be there for their son.

Sherri says that once they realized how Anthony felt and acted because of being left alone, her and Louis made every effort to be more present in their son’s life. “We make every effort to do things together as a family, whether that be going for a walk together, to the mall or to a movie,” she says, “we make sure to spend quality time as a family and ensure that he knows his parents are there for him.”

Rescheduling their hectic lives wasn’t easy, but now Anthony always has someone around after school. “We do have busy lives, but we needed to make it happen so we plan ahead and put lots of notes on the calendar. We’re just more organized,” explains Sherri.

Anthony loves the changes that his parents have made. He is involved in meal planning, and has even discovered a passion for cooking so he helps out with meals. Now the family doesn’t rely on convenience foods and sits down to a real dinner together. “Anthony loves the discussions that we now have at the dinner table,” she says.

Parenting experts Julie Freedman Smith and Gail Bell (together they own the company Parenting Power, which is based out of Calgary and offers coaching and workshops for parents) offered support to the family (see them in Anthony's deleted scenes - click on the video page link to go there.) Freedman Smith says that we don't need to overdo it and be there for our kids every minute, because our children want to do things on their own at some point, but they need to know that we are there to help them if they need our help and that we care about them. 

"We tend to think that once our children enter the teen years, our job is done and they can be responsible for themselves," says Freedman Smith, "research shows that the adult mind doesn't fully develop until the age of 25, so those years, especially the early teenage years, they still need our help to make good decisions. We can't just expect them to think the same way as an adult would about certain things, they need us there to guide and support them and still create boundaries for them."

Now that Anthony knows that his parents are there for him, Sherri says he understands that when they're absent, it’s not that they want to be away from the home or are purposefully avoiding him -  “He knows that sometimes work takes us away, but we are always there for him.”

This post is a repeat, but look forward to more original content to come in the future.