Corner High School students in Sue Ann McKnight’s Family and Consumer Science classes wrote articles for an “Entertainment Tonight” class project. One article is printed here, the rest can be read at njeffersonnews.com under the “web only” tab.

Chloe Reed

In today’s world, many families either have no time for each other or they don’t get along.  I’ll admit I’m part of one of those families.  However, I do try to play a bigger role in my family and make more time because I understand the value of family time.

Whether it’s a family dinner or a fun vacation, family time is crucial.  Social activities with your family can strengthen bonds and build a strong support system.  The saying “family is forever “is a literal term and that’s why these things are important.  Throughout your life, you’ll likely need support from your family and will depend on those close bonds at times.  Without a family bond and a strong support system, life will be harder more likely and you’ll be lost.

There are many ways to achieve strong family bonds and a strong support system.  Have a family dinner once a week or more, go on family vacations. Or maybe just sit down and talk for a while sometimes.  Whatever you and your family decide to do together, it will help in the long run.  Take action and help change the world, starting inside your own family.

By Mercedes Thomas

How much time do families spend together?  This may vary with different types of families.  The most often type of family is a single parent family.  Another common typed of family is a nuclear family, having both mother and father along with their children.  All families will become stronger with more family time.

Sharing feelings with family members is an example of how you and your family may become closer.  This will help you share advice to help your family.  You need to build deeper relationships with each family member in your home.  All members of the family need to feel as if they belong.  They need to know they have people who understand them and who can be helpful.  

More family time will instill a sense of trust within the family members.  They will know that they never have to be alone.  By spending more time as a family, your family will learn to stay and stick together through everything.  Whether you attend sporting events, church, or even just watch a movie as a family, they will feel as if their worth something.  Respect, love and cherish each moment spent with your family.  Your love for one another should be endless and the memories, priceless

By Zach Weldon

Families are not spending enough time together.  This is because everybody has many things to do and they are always rushing.  When you can’t sit down and talk, either because you don’t have time or because your parents just won’t, you begin to drift apart and this why family time is very important.

A way to accomplish this is by sitting down to a meal, riding in the car, seeing a movie, or maybe as simple as just sitting down and talking.  The more family time, the stronger the family.  Strong families are less likely to commit crimes as well as become good friends to people and make the people as a whole, stronger.

By Sydney Conner

I think family relationships are important because your family will be there for you when no one else will be.  Spending time with them gives you the opportunity to share with each other what goes on in your daily lives.  It’s always good to be comfortable talking to your parents about your problems because they want what’s best for you, and they will give you the best advice.  No matter if you’re the parent or the child; we all have situations in our life when we need family support and love.  Family relationships are very important.

By Shelbie Gilbreath

I believe family should always be a big part of everyone’s life.  Family should be someone that you can count on to be there for you no matter what.  Your family should be people you can go to and feel safe and loved and be around and be yourself.  You should have fun with your family and have a lot of time together.  I believe I am very blessed to have a family that is always loving and caring.  I also know I should always be happy with my family because some people aren’t as fortunate to be blessed with a good family.

By Lyndey Marie Smith

Families need to spend more time together because you see so many children now with everything but love and family.  They go around with everything they want but not always what they need.  Kids need loving and caring parents.  When parents go out all the time, drink, party and go crazy, the child will try to copy then.  If the parents do not set a good example then how will their kids grow up?

By Macie Calvert

Families need to spend more time together.  All families should be close enough to talk to earn other about anything.  They need to take time for each other and appreciate the time they have together.  Family is the most important thing in life.  They will always be there for your, no matter what.  If you don’t have a good family connection you should make time for them.  You can eat dinner with them or have a family game night.  Anything you can do even as little as having a ten minute conversation with them can strengthen the family bond.  Family is very important.  They will love you through thick or thin.

By Kayla Hammond

I think family time is very important.  Families will always be there for you no matter what.  Most people don’t get to spend time with their families, so if you do get to spend time with them enjoy it.  Your mom and dad love you more than anything else in this world.  They will always be there to take care of you, feed you, keep you safe, and put clothes on you.  In all, families are there for you, and always will be there.  I do have to say I have the most wonderful parents, aunts, uncles, cousins. Never take family for granted.

By Abby Boyd

Spending time with your families is very important.  It strengthens the relationships in the family and makes them closer.  Families can do this by talking with each other, eating meals together and much more.

By David Senft

Do you spend time with your family?  You should because it might cause some bad things to happen.  Like kids doing drugs because they are alone.  Here are some ways to spend time with your family – have a dinner, talk about what happened that day.  Just spend time with your family.

By Alex Pickel

Spending time with your family is important because it brings you closer to them and helps have a better relationship with them.  It’s good to be close to your family so you can talk to them and trust them.  When it’s easy to talk to them about things and trust them, you have a good relationship with them.  Spending time with your family brings you closer together and doesn’t cause problems.  When you spend time with them it doesn’t cause as much conflict with them. These are reasons spending time with your family is important.

By Samantha Pinion

Family time is important because your family will always support you even when your friends don’t.  If you don’t spend time with your family, you should talk to them about setting up a day when all of you could have dinner together or have a game night.  In all, family time is important for all kids to have, so get your family together soon and come up with something fun to do.

By Jacob Koss

Family is very important to have.  They give us some one that we can trust with anything and go to for any problems.  Families go through ups and downs together. But always remain one.  My family is the people that always prevent me from bad situation and push me to achieve my best.  I try to stay positive with my family and help them as they help me.

By Kaeli Huddleston

The connection in a family makes them strong.  If your family isn’t strong or not as strong as you want it, you can spend more time together by throwing parties, or doing stuff together to keep close. Having a strong family lets each and every person in the family know you love and care for them.

By Montana Pounders

I think family time is important because you can work on your speaking skills and you can do many other things.  Family time can help you talk about your feelings; also you can get closer to your family.  The ways you can do this is eating dinner, cooking, or even sitting down and just talking.  You can do this about anywhere you go.  This is why I feel families need to spend more time together.

By Avery Cunningham

It is important to spend time with your family so you create a better relationship.  When you’re close with your family, it creates better trust and a loving environment.

By Joshua Parvin

Families now days are facing 50% + divorce and when divorce happens it tears the family apart.  When families spend time together it strengths them.  If more families spend time together there would be less divorce.  Families can spend time together y camping or any other interest they have in common or fun things they like to do.

By Ashlie Huff

What makes family strong is the connection they have and how they communicate with each other.  I think that having a strong bond with each other is important because it show each other that you care about one another.  

By Gracie Faulkner

There are 3 things I think families need to be strong.  You need love because your family is your back up plan when no one else loves you.  You also need trust.  I mean – you live with them.  You should trust them.  You also need support.  A family should always tell you “good job” and “work harder” (etc.) you need your family.

By Makenzie Armstrong

It is important to be close to your family because when families spend a lot of time together and tell each other everything then they will always know that they can trust one another.  The most important thing that can keep families close is Jesus Christ.  If every family would start relying on God instead of themselves then there wouldn’t be as many divorced and broken families in this world.  Teenagers have more trouble than anybody when it comes to honoring their parents, because they think of themselves only and think it is cool to rebel.  If parents wouldn’t bend the rules and kids wouldn’t break them, then families would be closer.  All it takes is faith in God and respect in one another.

By Janna Hayes

Family time is important because some people don’t know very much about their family.  I believe that the best way to spend your family time is to just sit down together and talk with the T.V. off.  Another way you can achieve this is by going on vacation together.

By Sheyenne Boland

To me the importance of family time together means the world.  If you don’t have family time, your family can separate and then you’ll have no one to depend on.

By Brian Lichtenauer

Family time is an important quality every family should possess.  There are many reasons for this statement.  Family time builds relationships and you could have a good time with your family.  The term family time does not mean every one sits and talked.  You could do all sorts of activities.  You could exercise, go somewhere, or build a fire and talk.  All families do not socialize with each other as much as they should.  Technology is at its best right now and families are torn apart by it.  By texting, Facebook and all the game systems families grow apart from each other.  AS children we need to build relationships with our families so when we go into the real world we always have someone there for us.

By Amanda Wood

I think families should spend more time together, because I think families don’t spend enough time together.  So if you spend time together you won’t lose your family like some people.  I think if you don’t spend any time with your family you might lose them.

By Kaylee Hopkins

Family is really important.  There are many kinds of family- friends that feel like family, your church family, your extended family and your immediate family.  Some people even have an adopted family.  Teammates on your sports team can also be your family.  Everyday these families get farther apart because of the small amount of time spent together.  Bottom line put up the computer and all that jazz and spend more time with your family because you never know when it will be your last day.

By Christian Hollis

Family relationships are important because family comes first after God.  Family relationships are important because if you don’t spend together your family will grow apart.  Family relationships are important because it is good to know that your family is going to be there in good times and bad.  Family relationships are important because hopefully a good family relationship will be passed down to the next generation of your next family.

By Renee McTyeire

Spending time with your family is very important.  Family time can help prevent divorce.  My mom and dad didn’t spend family time together when I was little and that resulted in divorce.  I believe that my mom and dad would still be married if we spent more family time together.

By Breanna Hester

Families need to spend more time together.  In today’s world children and teens are spending more time on their cell phones or computer.  Family time can keep families relationships intact.  You can spend time together by eating dinner, going for car rides, etc.

By Tylor Cicero

Having a good relationship with your family is a great thing to help one grow as a person.  No matter what kind of home or financial class you come from as long as you have family you have the potential to become a successful person.

I don’t have a great family.  My mom is not careful and I haven’t seen my dad since I was probably two years old, but I have my uncle.  We understand each other and he acts like he’s my age so it’s easy to get along.  He encourages me to go for what I want to do almost every day, as long as he can tag along if I become any kind of scientist.  He really hopes I become a marine biologist so he can ride on the boat and fish the entire time.  Without him I’d be nowhere in life and wouldn’t succeed at anything.

By Hollie Walker

A way of making your family better and stronger is by sitting down with them at the dinner table, talking about how your day went and just taking time throughout the day talking to them.  When the children talk to their parents make sure they don’t have their cell phone with them.  Cell phones have become a major problem with family communication; a way of making that better is by putting it away and sitting their talking together.

By Matthew Box

Being with family is important.  When you’re with family you get closer together.  When you eat with your family you need to turn the TV off.  Also if you listen to your family you will know more about them.  This is why being with family is important.

By Marcus Kilgore

Today in our society, our families are falling apart, mainly because our families are not spending time together.  The reason for that is because everything is so fast paced.  So parents and kids, I suggest that all of you try to spend time with your family.  Be a strong family, be a loving family; just be all you can be.

By Taylor Crawford

In this article I am going to tell you how to keep a family strong.  One way is to eat dinner together and just talk about how your day was.  Another way is to watch a movie with your family.  To me the best way to keep a family together is to go to church together.

By Madison Jett

While doing this family project I learned that it is very important to spend time with your family.  Spending time with your family can strengthen your emotional needs.  It also builds your relationship with them.  It is important to have a good relationship with your family because no matter what they will always be there for you.  My family has helped me with so much throughout the years.  Through the good times and the bad, they are always there for me.

By Chelsea Twamley

What makes a family strong is to do stuff with each other.  For example, go fishing as a family.  When you go as a family, you all communicate with each other.  Then you figure out about your family life.

By Alyssa Bradley

Spending time with your family is probably at the top of the list of things that should be important to you.  Family is what’s always going to have your back – not your friends, boy or girl friend, or even a best friend.  It’s so important to have a good healthy relationship with every member of your family.  I honestly can’t say I have a good relationship with everyone, but I can honestly say I am trying.  I can’t stress enough the people who are always away from home and don’t care at all.  Work and school are important, but I would always put family first.

By Brianna Eady

Families break apart daily.  If you talk all you fights through, it will make most fights not even happen. No fights would even happen if you understand people.  At school, nearly every fight that happens, nobody knows one another.  But sometimes, you know people too much and if you start having the same style and being too much alike you want to fight then.  So every time you get in an argument with somebody, talk about it until you get to know them.  Then you shouldn’t wan t to fight.

By Tanner Davis

Family is very important.  I think this because without family you would be incomplete.  A teenager cannot support their life on their own.  Therefore this is why family is important.  Another reason why family is important is because it strengthens our country.  Without family our country will come tumbling down.  This is why I think family is important.