Opinions differ regarding whether children have to devote their entire free time to their families. Although spending time with family provides an opportunity to strengthen the bonds between parents and children, I hold the view that it may have a negative influence on young people such as having limited social skills.
To begin with, family is the first societal institution in the children’s life and juveniles are mostly surrounded by them. When children are always among their family, it can ensure close relationships between them and reinforce the parental care of the children. This mutual trust between family and young people may result in long-term respect and consistent assistance for both sides. For example, children who spend all of their free time with their parents would amplify the connection with their family and better understand their true value. In addition, spending time together allows families to share experiences, traditions, and values, which can positively shape children’s character and sense of identity.
On the other hand, those who are constantly among their family tend to have underdeveloped social skills. If children spend their entire time with family, they would have no time for socialising and making friends. This, in turn, would limit the peer relationships of children which they mostly need in their age and would negatively impact young people’s future. For instance, when children graduate from their schools and get into distant universities, they would feel isolated without their friends and struggle to make new relationships due to their limited interpersonal skills. Another significant point is that relying solely on family for emotional support can prevent children from developing independence and problem-solving abilities essential for adulthood.
To sum up, I believe that children spending all of their free time for families would hinder their social-cohesive skills, despite the strengthened bonds among family and children in case of constant relations. Thus, a balanced approach for young people would be to divide their free time between family and peers.