Over break, I went to see the newest Star Wars installment with several of my oldest kids. Before the movie started, we were treated to a Pillsbury commercial whose premise I found shocking: families, on average, spend 37 minutes per day together, according to the the corporate food giant. Seriously? Back at home, I did some quick googling, and guess what? Studies in both America and Europe confirm the startling statistic for families in which both parents work and the children attend school or daycare.
I guess the concept is so unfathomable to me because on any given day, I can spend that much time reading Curious George books to my 4 year-old, let alone helping my 11 year-old find the perfect facts for the paper he’ll present at co-op this week, or discussing politics with my 17 year-old. Thirty-seven minutes a day is a small thing to me. I know in the hollows of my heart that it adds up over weeks and months, but I also know that because I am blessed to have long stretches of time every day alongside my family, I don’t feel pressured to “make the most” of every second that is ticking past.
Homeschooling families have the luxury of time together. We have the gift of leisurely mornings spent teaching 7 year-olds how to fold blueberries into muffin batter made from scratch, not plopped out of a tear-away tube and heated. We are given the immeasurable joy of “one more chapter” every day, cuddled on the couch all together under the biggest quilt we can find, not greeting our kids in the carpool lane and hustling them off to a practice.
We have been handed time. Time to laugh, time to cry, time to learn, time to grow, time to encourage, time to disciple, time to truly know and be known. We have been given a surplus of hours in which to be present in the lives of our children. I can’t imagine a treasure on earth more valuable than that.