How often do you have Family Night?

[shortbun]

Inspired by another thread, I got wondering. How many families take time to spend a night regularly sitting down to eat together/play games/watch an appropriate movie? We do it weekly at least and some weeks, we do it more than that intentionally. We eat together at least 5 nights a week, often more but it's the after or before activity I'm wondering about. What do you do?

 

[Lauralee131]

I voted for once a week although we're together every night for dinner, etc...Friday is our movie night...we have a "carpet picnic" in the living room with pizza, etc and all spend the night together watching movies and eating popcorn...our DS who's 7 really treasures our "Movie Night", as do I - after rushing around for work, school, etc. we really need a wind-down night and Friday's are perfect for that!

 

[MrsPete]

We have dinner together as a family every night. EVERY night. And most nights we do something together as a family -- making a special dessert, watching something together, canning, playing a game, going out somewhere. We've always done this. Our kids are 12 and 15, and sometimes one of them's out somewhere, but ALL evenings are family evenings.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I picked other. DH travels most weeks for work. He takes an early flight Monday morning and comes in again Friday evening. So, anything we do during the week does not include him. M-Thursday the kids and I eat dinner together every night. We nearly always watch a family friendly movie one of those nigths and play a board or card game on another one or more nights. We often have a "dance party" on one night as well. Evening bike rides are another possibility in the nicer weather. Fridays the kids eat on their own while I drive to the airport and pick up DH. We get back close to the kids' bedtime and he spends a bit playing with or talking to them. Then he and I eat a late dinner together when the kids go to bed. Usually one day of the weekend we do something fun together as a family (hiking, amusement park, swimming, castle tour, etc.). On that day we may get home very late so end up dining out for dinner pretty often--very likely fast food along the autobahn. The other day of the weekend could be anything (chores around the house, running errands, bike rides, whatever). That day tends to go one of three ways (about equal split among them) for evening activity and dinner:
1. Adults go out on a date and kids hang at home and have pizza. (most common if we have spent most of the day doing fun things with the kids)
2. Dinner together at home and fun family activity (game, dance party, movie...) to with it. (most common if we have spent the day running errands, etc.)
3. Dinner out as a family at one of our favourite places. (most common if we have spent the day doing chores around the house and all need a "reward" and chance to get out).

 

[tinkermom23]

We have supper as a family every night! We time it around activities if need be, but we eat together, at the table, without a TV on!

Now, Friday nights are special and we have homemade pizza and either watch a movie or play a game... sometimes we pack up our food and go to a park or invite another family over to share it with.

Most every Saturday morning we have pancakes and hang as a family, and Sunday mornings we have carmel rolls for breakfast, then after church we go out with Grandma & Grandpa to eat.

I think traditions are important and I know my kids are going to get to the age where they don't necessarily think Mom & Dad are cool anymore, so we do what we can now. (However, I cannot imagine how anyone could ever think we were not cool! )

 

[raysnkaysmom]

We 'try' for once a week, it's more like once every couple months

 

[mjkacmom]

We have family night whenever we're all home together. Ds11 will be playing rec soccer, travel soccer, baseball, and flag football in the fall, dd8 will be taking 4 dance classes and 1 theater class each week, dd6 will only be taking gymnastics, ds6 has tae kwon do 3 times a week, and dd13 in very involved in theater. Therefore, we always do something when we're all home (movie night, game night...). It's a treat when we're home!

 

[luvmy3]

I voted other because we do eat dinner together every night in the summer. When school starts we eat a little earlier and dh doesn't always make it home by then.
We do alot of movie/game nights too, sometimes once a week and sometimes several times a week.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

We eat together EVERY night. We also have board game nights, movie nights, Wii nights, book reading nights, etc. We don't call them family nights because every night is a family night...

 

[Liberty Belle]

Well, we eat together everynight. Every once in a while my oldest may not be with us, though. We were doing a family movie night once a week, but that turned into a family movie/game night about every two weeks. We do lots and lots of stuff together, though. Probably more than we should!

 

[RadioNate]

I hesitated to choose never but we never have a scheduled 'family night.' We eat dinner as a family together every night. If DH is out of town for work or running late, the kids and I eat together.

We never do movie nights as DS8 hates movies. I'd love it but there is no way he'd watch one. I ask all the time. He also won't go to a movie in a theater so we don't do that either.

DH and DS play usually play a video game together nightly. I sit with them after DD goes to sleep. They've been on the same game of Monopoly for a while now.

We however do a lot of outing as a family. At least once a week we do something. Science center, Disney, zoo, craft hours, farmer's market.

 

[D&DDisney]

We make a point to eat together every night. Try to have family game/movie night once per week. In fact, tonight we are making our own pizzas and renting a movie. Any good suggestions for family movies for kids 7 & 11???

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

We make a point to eat together every night. Try to have family game/movie night once per week. In fact, tonight we are making our own pizzas and renting a movie. Any good suggestions for family movies for kids 7 & 11???

Nanny McFee

 

[D&DDisney]

Nanny McFee

Thanks! We'll check it out

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

most nights.

we eat together most every night unless DH is out of town. We watch TV together, rent a movie, or just spend time together most nights of the week that she isn't out playing with friends.

we don't do formal game nights until school time/winter. DD's activities and homework mean less evening time together, so we do that.

 

[Nik's Mom]

We do a family activity once a week. Sometimes it's watching a movie, other times we go to a museum, the zoo, etc. But we do eat dinner together as a family every night.

 

[mjkacmom]

We make a point to eat together every night. Try to have family game/movie night once per week. In fact, tonight we are making our own pizzas and renting a movie. Any good suggestions for family movies for kids 7 & 11???

We just rented Nacho Libre with Jack Black - not exactly a family movies, but we need ones for ages 6 - 13. How about The Princess Bride - my kids all loved that one!