Qatar- Why it is so important to spend quality time with children

Doha: As the hustle and bustle of the school year gradually fades into the lull of another hot Doha summer, families in Qatar are looking for new ways to enjoy the season and beat the heat through either travel, summer camps, or local activities. 

Whatever the case, it is important that we take this opportunity to spend quality time together as a family. As documented in DIFI's recent study ‘Work Family Balance: Challenges, Experiences, and Implications for Families', work-family balance is often elusive, and mostly experienced during such holidays and extended vacation time. Indeed, over one-third of national males and nearly half of females surveyed in DIFI's quantitative study currently reported experiencing poor work-family balance, making them more likely to experience depression and poor physical health.

The summer months provide parents with an excellent opportunity to disconnect from school-related tasks such as extracurricular activities and homework, and allows them to spend quality, interactive time engaging fully with their child on a personal level. 

Maximising quality family time with our loved ones during the quieter summer months is one avenue of reinforcing healthy parent-child relationships, and instilling within our children the concept of ‘mattering', whereby each child understands his or her importance within the family, and believes that they can make a difference in the world around them. 

While each family has a different definition of quality time together, the goal is one to provide our children with love, attention, and guidance, so that they grow into happy, well-balanced, contributing members of society. It is no wonder that studies have repeatedly shown that the first vital step to successful parenting is spending quality time with children. 

Dr. Sharifa Noaman Al-Emadi, Executive Director of Doha International Family Institute (DIFI). 

And, by doing so, parents develop stronger bonds with their children, and observe and learn about their children's strengths and weaknesses, while children get a chance to model their parents' positive behaviour, and voice their inner thoughts and feelings. 

Indeed, parental sensitivity or a parent's ability to recognise their child's emotional state and respond with comfort, consistency, and warmth during interactions has positive effects on a child's mental health, and adjustment to life. This, in turn, lowers their risks for a number of emotional and behavioural disorders, ranging from violence and substance abuse to obesity.  

The list of budget-friendly, summer activities that can promote these healthy parent-child relationships are innumerable and opportunities abound with the Qatar Foundation community and elsewhere. Here are just a few suggestions: 

■ Take time to enjoy the simple pleasures of home life with your family such as family mealtime, shopping, or participating in religious activities together. Summer time is a great opportunity to turn what is usually a simple chore into a fun event for the whole family. 

■ Make long-lasting memories by travelling abroad for a holiday or enjoying a staycation at one of Qatar's many family-friendly destinations. Exploring a new destination with your family members is a great way to strengthen your bond with one another.  

■ Plan a multi-generational celebration that brings the whole family together. Family occasions this summer such as Eid al Adha, birthdays, or graduations are ideal opportunities for children, parents, and grandparents to enjoy quality time together. 

■ Model positive behaviours for your children by participating in indoor or outdoor sports activities together, taking up a shared hobby such as arts and crafts, or catching up on your summer reading together as a family.

■ Switch your family's electronics to ‘family mode' by reducing individual time online. Instead, use technology for group activities that increase bonding and learning such as geocaching adventures for family treasure hunts, family games, or movie nights. Use technology as a gateway for engaging in your children's lives and helping them to make sense of the modern world in which we live. 

■ Volunteer together or contribute to charity work as a family. Not only does volunteering benefit the broader community, but it also provides participants with a renewed sense of purpose. One particularly rewarding activity would be to provide respite for family caregivers for children with disabilities or the elderly. As noted in DIFI's reports on ‘The Well-Being of Families Living with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Qatar and Family Home Caregivers for the Elderly in Qatar', these families benefit greatly from community assistance in the form of respite care, which allows parents and family caregivers the time to take a much-needed psychological breather to reconnect with one another.  

Ultimately though, however you decide to invest your time this summer, don't feel you need to compete with your friends, neighbours, or check off items on some imagined bucket list. Spending quality time with your family should be about doing fun things together and enjoying each other's company while you grow closer as a family.
 

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