What makes teens happy? Believe it or not…
Tuesday July 22, 2008
As noted in an article by the Chicago Sun-Times, an extensive survey was conducted of more than 1,280 people ages 13-24 by the Associated Press and MTV on various things concerning happiness. The top answer to the question, ‘What makes you happy?' was… wait for it… ‘spending time with family’! How exciting is that?!? I feel validated in the media for once, how about you? Leave a comment and let me know what you think.
More: Things to Do With or For Your Teen | 5 Reasons to Observe Family Traditions
WOW! What a nice thing to read for a change. My husband and I make spending time with our children as a family our number one priority and as they get older I can see that our children are making us their priority. We do a lot of things together and I always feel sad when I hear parents saying things like “my son/daughter doesn’t want me to be involved”, or “they won’t go away with us on vacation without bringing a friend”. I am blessed!
this is interesting. i live in spain and recent articles here indicate the same thing. young people say their parents’ opinions matter most to them and that their families are what they value above all. we can keep these things in mind when it feels like we aren’t getting through.
That is great to hear! I have four children the oldest is 13 and she says alot when asked what they want to do… Mom let’s play a game or some other activity as a family. I love to hear that from them. We spend alot of time together. Im one of the lucky ones who get to be a stay at home mom and do daycare from home. It makes you feel good to have your kids want to spend time as a family instead of wanting to take off with friends or getting in trouble.
Our teen, 14, likes shopping with me and doing some things together as a family. I don’t think it is her top priority though. We have 3 kids: 14 daughter, 9 daughter and 7 son. We have a hard time getting everyone excited about a family event. It generally excites the girls in the house and not the boys are the other way around. It is a challenge with the big age gap but somehow we seem to make it work. It is just not a every week thing.
As a teenager myself, I can honestly say that for me, that statement is partially true. I love spending time with my family, but if you overdo it it becomes annoying. I watch one hour of tv with my mom a day and go on an hour long walk with my dad a day, and we probably do one thing all together, like eating out or watching a movie or something about once a week. Which I think is the perfect amount. I love my family and I enjoy the time I spend with them, but I’m probably most happy when hanging with my friends, because, at least in my case, my friends don’t embarrass me as much as my father likes to, like his incessant dancing along to music in the car…
I wish I could say my 14 year old felt the way the kids in the survey do. I have always been there for all of my kids, and she just hates everything we try and do for her. Example she resents us cause she cannot walk the streets at night with her friends. We have told her over and over it is not safe, and she does not need to be walking the streets. We try to allow her to do things like a normal teen but she makes us not trust her, so we have to pull back the reigns and she hates us for it. I really wish I knew what would make her happy cause it is not us.
hey! i’m 13 years old and omg! its totally true! like i LOVE spending time with my family because its an escape from all of the drama. it helps me relax because i dont have to worry about what someone said or something. i just know that i can hang out with my family that loves me. you know? well yeah! im just saying the survey is right! =]