I was doing some reading for one of my online classes today and I came across this chapter on wholesome family recreation: building strong families. I was so intrigued with this chapter and felt very strongly that I should share some of what I read with you today. Now I can not justly retell what this chapter talked about so I will just quote some of my favorite parts for you.
Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work and wholesome recreational activities.....
"RECREATION CAN BE EASY. We all know how to find fun things to do. In our current world, we are immersed in a plethora of entertaining technology. We have access to a variety of television programming; we have myriad interactive video games. If we are on the go, we have smart phones that access the digital airways. Opportunities to recreate surround us. The choices are endless. But we must consider the implications of these different recreation choices for the quality of our lives and families.
.... Our free time should be used wisely to create the best possible life, to promote individual growth and strengthen families. Meaningful recreation does not just happen; it must be prepared for, cultivated, and privately defended. In general, we spend an inordinate amount of time with electronic media and, as a result, become disconnected from one another. We have lost vital and nourishing connections... We suffer from depression, anxiety, and discontent. Wholesome family recreation can help us strengthen our relationships and reduce negative emotional and spiritual consequences. Wholesome recreation straightens families.
Life is complicated and full of demands..... Barriers restricting our recreation participation are called constraints. Constraints are factors assumed to 'limit the formation of leisure preferences and/ or to inhibit or prohibit participation and enjoyment of leisure.' Common constraints include the lack of time, lack of skills and abilities, the cost of participating or even social isolation.
Perhaps the most influential constraint directly influencing wholesome family recreation is time. Americans have been taught the importance of work, and often times over load ourselves and spend a majority of our time working. Whether this be in a job setting, volunteering, working at home and even school work..... Another constraint to wholesome family recreation is our addiction to escapist forms of entertainment. We are tied to our mobile phones, iPods, and the Internet. We text, and look at Facebook during many of our waking hours.
Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work and wholesome recreational activities.....
"RECREATION CAN BE EASY. We all know how to find fun things to do. In our current world, we are immersed in a plethora of entertaining technology. We have access to a variety of television programming; we have myriad interactive video games. If we are on the go, we have smart phones that access the digital airways. Opportunities to recreate surround us. The choices are endless. But we must consider the implications of these different recreation choices for the quality of our lives and families.
.... Our free time should be used wisely to create the best possible life, to promote individual growth and strengthen families. Meaningful recreation does not just happen; it must be prepared for, cultivated, and privately defended. In general, we spend an inordinate amount of time with electronic media and, as a result, become disconnected from one another. We have lost vital and nourishing connections... We suffer from depression, anxiety, and discontent. Wholesome family recreation can help us strengthen our relationships and reduce negative emotional and spiritual consequences. Wholesome recreation straightens families.
Life is complicated and full of demands..... Barriers restricting our recreation participation are called constraints. Constraints are factors assumed to 'limit the formation of leisure preferences and/ or to inhibit or prohibit participation and enjoyment of leisure.' Common constraints include the lack of time, lack of skills and abilities, the cost of participating or even social isolation.
Perhaps the most influential constraint directly influencing wholesome family recreation is time. Americans have been taught the importance of work, and often times over load ourselves and spend a majority of our time working. Whether this be in a job setting, volunteering, working at home and even school work..... Another constraint to wholesome family recreation is our addiction to escapist forms of entertainment. We are tied to our mobile phones, iPods, and the Internet. We text, and look at Facebook during many of our waking hours.
We live in a world full of opportunities to engage in wholesome family recreation, if we know where to look for them. Wholesome recreation is an intentional process. It can serve to promote positive development in our children, strengthen our marriages and build strong families. we must know, however what constitutes wholesome recreation and purposefully seek opportunities for our families to meaningfully recreate together. The components to wholesome recreation include opportunities to verbally communicate, develop skills, face challenges, create memories, share traditions and beliefs, and spend time together in the family setting.
If we are drawn to seek wealth, material goods, and pleasure in the pursuit of happiness, we are likely to miss important opportunities for wholesome family recreation. We may find ourselves struggling with emotional and social difficulties. A truly good life is one characterized by a wide range of emotions. It is a tapestry woven by our struggles as well as our joys. Seeking wholesome family recreation requires each of us to think about happiness and what is truly important to us: family and living in a way that we could stand with confidence before God."
I personally have a strong testimony in the importance in not only family interaction but also wholesome family recreation. I was lucky that my family enjoyed spending time together and we went on many family outings. In the summers we would camp, go to the ocean, surprise my dad at work with lunch, go on walks, hikes, swimming, biking and Saturday yard work parties. In the winter we would go to Snow Flake Lane in Bellevue, look at Christmas lights, visit the free Christmas sites in Seattle, go into the mountains to sled and cut down a Christmas tree, we would build snowmen and have clean the yard and streets after a wind storm. My parents made it a priority to spend time together in both play and work. These are some of my most favorite memories and the ones that I cherish the most.... these are the kinds of things I want to look for as well as work towards in my future family.
If we are drawn to seek wealth, material goods, and pleasure in the pursuit of happiness, we are likely to miss important opportunities for wholesome family recreation. We may find ourselves struggling with emotional and social difficulties. A truly good life is one characterized by a wide range of emotions. It is a tapestry woven by our struggles as well as our joys. Seeking wholesome family recreation requires each of us to think about happiness and what is truly important to us: family and living in a way that we could stand with confidence before God."
I personally have a strong testimony in the importance in not only family interaction but also wholesome family recreation. I was lucky that my family enjoyed spending time together and we went on many family outings. In the summers we would camp, go to the ocean, surprise my dad at work with lunch, go on walks, hikes, swimming, biking and Saturday yard work parties. In the winter we would go to Snow Flake Lane in Bellevue, look at Christmas lights, visit the free Christmas sites in Seattle, go into the mountains to sled and cut down a Christmas tree, we would build snowmen and have clean the yard and streets after a wind storm. My parents made it a priority to spend time together in both play and work. These are some of my most favorite memories and the ones that I cherish the most.... these are the kinds of things I want to look for as well as work towards in my future family.
