Family Time and Ping Pong

I don't want to brag, but I am pretty dang good at Ping Pong. My family had a ping pong table when I was younger and I occasionally played when I was a teenager. Some friends recently offered us a ping pong table they were getting rid of so we took it. It is packed in the middle of our play room upstairs and I'm sure any interior designer or Feng Shui expert would have a fit, but I don't mind. Despite not playing table tennis for over 20 years, I am pleased to report that I still have the skills!

We have a tradition of attempting to spend time together every week in my family. Ideally we would watch a movie, or go to the park, have a lesson, plan activities, or make something fun to eat. Frequently it just consists of me getting mad at my kids for being noisy and not listening so I end up dismissing them and sending them to bed until there is only one kid left and they are declared the winner. We very seldom have functional family home evenings. When I want to get the family together for an impromptu gathering during the week I call it an emergency session since it sounds more important and makes me feel like a general.

I think spending family time together is extremely important. Eating together as a family is a lost art. The invention of the microwave and TV and computer have impacted how families eat. I'm all for convenience and doing things on the run, but I also think having the occasional "Waltons" sit down dinner would do wonders for most families.

Anyway, back to Ping Pong. Since we got this table, I have spent way more quality time with my kids and have had a blast playing with them and learning even more about their attitudes and personalities. It has been fun to have heated trash talking battles with my teenagers as well as patient teaching moments with my 5 year old who is just happy to be able to hit the ball back 2 or 3 times in a volley.

I highly recommend ping pong and regular family time. Doing simple and easy things together can work wonders for your family. I challenge you to look for ways to spend more quality time as a family. (He types this as he is telling his kids to be quiet so he can watch sports highlights on YouTube), but seriously, as you are shopping for presents for your kids this year, consider stuff you can do together as a family instead of buying them more electronics which often retard their social skills and seclude them from the world.



Speaking of ping pong, here is a crazy clip of some guys I would hate to play against.