Family Night

Monday Nights are Family Night!

One of the ways the community can assist families is by protecting the family, however best organized, from overextending itself and preserving for them quality time together at least one night a week – Family Night.  Family Night would be free of meetings, activities, and other interruptions sponsored by governments, schools, service-clubs, churches, sports leagues, personal hobbies, etc., except where an agency is subject to commitments outside of the community.On July 5, 2012 the City Council of the City of Waterford resolved that Family Night will be every Monday night in Waterford, and committed to the extent possible to keeping Family Night free of meetings, activities and other interruptions that will help leave time for the family to gather, reconnect, and enjoy an unfettered and stress-free evening together.  The City also committed to supporting proactive efforts by the community to provide resources and ideas to families, businesses, and students how to best utilize their time on Monday’s Family Night, and occasional community-wide events celebrating families.

Family Night Ideas:

• Cook – enjoy a sit-down meal together.
• Communicate – sit down and just talk about life and relationships
• Calendar – fill out a calendar and make time for your family
• Share short lessons – budgeting, cooking, cleaning, manners, emergency preparedness, life skills, character traits, cultural, spiritual development, etc.
• Traditions – Renew or start something special for your family to do regularly besides on just holidays.
• Games – Play a game or do a physical activity
• Service – do a project together for your neighbor
• http://www.thekidscookmonday.org/
• http://thefamilydinnerproject.org/
• http://www.doinggoodtogether.org/

Do you have other idea suggestions?  Share with us what your family does on Family Night.

Pledged Supporters of Family Night:

1. City of Waterford
2. Community Baptist Church
3. First Southern Baptist Church
4. Waterford Historical Society
5. Waterford Improvement Team
6. Waterford Ministerial Association
7. Waterford Unified School District
8. April Jolimay’s H.O.L.F.A. House
9. Waterford Chamber of Commerce

Who is missing from the list of supporters?  Encourage them to pledge their support.

Below is the City of Waterford’s designation of Family Night:

A RESOLUTION OF THE WATERFORD CITY COUNCIL DESIGNATING MONDAY NIGHT’S IN WATERFORD AS “FAMILY NIGHT”

WHEREAS, The success of families, however best organized, is a concern of the City of Waterford, and healthier families lead to a better quality of life in Waterford; and,

WHEREAS, Healthy families provide improved emotional, cognitive, social, and economic benefits to our communities and the results are better students in our schools, well-behaved children in our homes and neighborhoods, and future contributing citizens making the world a better place; and,

WHEREAS, The family today faces unprecedented challenges because of their scope and scale – single, divorced, blended, parent(s) in the workforce, under/unemployment, home and community violence, substance addictions, media saturation, poor health and disability, and even wholesome but time consuming (and stress-inducing) athletic, academic, service, or social activities; and,

WHEREAS, These challenges can undermine the fabric of society if not recognized, addressed, and overcome, and can aid in the disorganization of families, which hurts individuals, impairs communities, and weakens nations; and

WHEREAS, One of the ways the community can assist families is by protecting the family from overextending itself and preserving for them quality time together at least one night a week – Family Night.  Family Night would be free of meetings, activities, and other interruptions sponsored by governments, schools, service-clubs, churches, sports leagues, personal hobbies, etc., except where an agency is subject to commitments outside of the community; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Waterford that Family Night will be every Monday night in Waterford, and the City of Waterford is committed to the extent possible to keeping Family Night free of meetings, activities and other interruptions that will help leave time for the family to gather, reconnect, and enjoy an unfettered and stress-free evening together, and

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED In addition to keeping the calendar free of family conflicts, the City of Waterford is committed to supporting proactive efforts by the community to provide resources and ideas to families, businesses, and students how to best utilize their time on Monday’s Family Night, and an occasional community-wide event celebrating families.

PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED by the Waterford City Council of the City of Waterford at a regular meeting this 5th day of July, 2012, by a unanimous vote.