Reconnect with your family on a mini vacation

During old-school family road trips it was Dad’s job to say, “I can turn this car around right now!” But today’s families need a new kind of getaway to reverse the alarming decline of families spending quality time with one another. With hectic work schedules, overscheduled kids and a profusion of digital distractions for all, families are spending less “together time” than ever, often to the detriment of children and the family as a whole.

Nationally renowned family therapist Carleton Kendrick suggests families use the “Immediate Family Reunion,” as a solution to reconnect. This means taking multiple short vacations throughout the year as a fun alternative to the traditional long spring or summer vacation.

“Families often come to me looking for a simple solution to their over-scheduling. They are hungry for easy ways to find quality time with one another,” said Kendrick. “These ‘immediate family reunions’ close to home are perfect for families needing to step away from the frenetic pace of daily life, without the stress of booking those ever-elusive end-all, be-all yearly vacations.”

In the past 20 years, there has been a 33 percent decline in the number of families who eat dinner together regularly, according to research by the University of Minnesota. Despite this, experts are virtually unanimous on the importance of family time.

Given the rising cost of gas, up nearly 25 cents per gallon from 2005 as reported by the U.S. Department of Energy, and the continuing trend of underutilized vacation time, Carleton suggests these “mini vacations” can be a regular and cost effective way to reunite and renew connections.

Often-overlooked amenities such as hotel restaurants, room service, spas, pools and proximity to popular attractions provide families with a stress-free environment that encourages talking, playing or simply eating together. These activities offer a welcome opportunity for families to actually talk to each other. While the average household’s TV was on for more than eight hours a day from Oct. 2004 to Oct. 2005, reports Neilsen Media Research, a recent survey by Cynthia Langham at the University of Detroit revealed that parent /children communication racked up a paltry 14.5 minutes a day. Nick Stennet and John DeFrain, researchers and authors of “Secrets of Strong Families” discovered school-age kids list “doing things together” as a key ingredient in family happiness. (CONTINUE...)