Spending quality time with family members is easier said than done. Even though most — if not, all — of us would like to do it, other endeavors keep the majority of us from enjoying our weekdays, and even weekends with our loved ones. It’s quite a sad reality but there are ways to relish our time better when we’re with them!

Why It’s Hard to Find Hours to Spend Time With Family Members

Since the dawn of civilization, it’s been a human prerequisite to do things to live. Sometimes, however, we can get too preoccupied doing those that we forget who we mainly do it for. According to a poll by OnePoll — that was initiated by McCain Foods — 56% of the families they surveyed said that work was the main reason why they don’t get to spend much time with their loved ones. As for the younger folks, 29% of them are always busy doing homework. And even if the whole family is at home, 27% of them are too caught up with household chores.

It’s already difficult to come home from work early, do homework more efficiently, and set aside chores for the time being. Even if that scenario theoretically — and magically — happens, 37% of the surveyed people said they don’t dedicate specific hours to spend quality time with the gang. One of the main reasons is we get too distracted by other things. And most of us are guilty of doing this — we, like the ones polled — tend to spend time entertaining ourselves with our gadgets!

Many of us are used to being left to our own devices when we’re home. That’s why it can get awkward when we have to talk to our parents or kiddos. 42% of the parents said they don’t know how to talk to their children — and, to the kids, they usually find the topics awkward. After all, 50% of the surveyed fam said the topic discussed when dining together is homework! But it’s not always boring stuff — 48% said TV shows are what the conversation revolves around, while 46% of the time, it’s about friendships.

How to Enjoy Your Time With Family Better

It’s natural to want to bond with our loved ones. However, not only do we not have enough time to do it, many of us are also unsure how — BUT, a lot of us try! Parents, for instance, try to spend time with their kids even if they have plenty of other things that they have to do. 57% of them said they try bonding with their children while on a car ride. And in typical parent fashion, 40% do it when putting their kiddos to sleep; 38% do it when they’re taking the children to school — or back home.

We don’t always have to squeeze in quality time with our family like it’s a chore. Even if you allot specific hours and days with your loved ones, it’s still the quality that matters — not the quantity. 74% of the surveyed people may have said that eating meals together was their way of spending time with their family, but if the topics are awkward, it might end up not being a “good quality” type of time. The same goes for the 66% who said that they watch TV together — if most of the movies or series aren’t what everyone is into, it’ll just end up becoming a “boring” bonding time.

There’s no specific guideline as to how family members can spend quality time together — though there are a few lists of ideas! Every family is different and each of its members has different interests. Therefore, what matters is how the whole crew will enjoy their time together. After all, we already only have an average of 6 hours/week with them. Why not do something worthwhile?

Having dinner together may be the most typical way we spend quality time with our loved ones, but if your family is into outdoor adventures, go ahead and plan a trip to the mountains! Do the kids like the beach just like their parents? Head down there as soon as you guys are free! — at the end of the day, the “traditional” way isn’t the only way to spend time with the fam.

Finally,

It’s unfortunate that once we’re done doing our chores and responsibilities, we’re left with little time in the day to spend quality time with family members — but, as they say, that’s life! However, this doesn’t mean that dinners and after-school walks are all of what we’re left to do when it comes to bonding with our family.

No matter how limited your hours are with them, you can still make it memorable if you talk about things that are interesting and fun. And once you and the fam have time available, you can go on, say, a vacation to a location where you guys would enjoy the view — and activities!

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.