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28 March 2024

UAE residents’ preference: Career or family... click to know

Published
By Staff

In today’s modern world, work is increasingly taking over our lives and we spend longer hours in pursuit of our career goals, hence not sparing enough time for the families.

This fact is reflected in a newly-released survey which shows that more than 9 out of 10 people in the UAE want to spend their weekends with the families as nearly half of the people spend more than nine hours at work a day.

According to ‘Family Time survey’ conducted by retailer Centreoint, 35 per cent of UAE respondents feel that they do not spend enough time with their families, hence 93 per cent look forward to spending time with families on the weekend.

Regionally, more than 48 per cent of respondents claimed that they do not get sufficient time with their family and 87 per cent of respondents said that spending time with family is what they looked forward to most on the weekends.

With more than 44 per cent of participants in the study spending over nine hours at work, time with family becomes shorter, with adverse effects on our wellbeing.

The study was launched ahead of World Family Day on May 15.

“Children are often the most affected,” says Lucy Bruce, founder of Home Grown Children’s Eco Nursery who has worked closely with Centrepoint to help raise awareness for the importance of family time.

“As a mother of three, a business owner and founder of the Harmony House charity, it is fair to say that I’ve had times when I’ve felt like I have bitten off more than I can chew. Recognising the importance of my role in my children’s lives has made being present and spending quality time with my children my main priority. The positive impact it has had on my children and myself is immeasurable.”

Studies have shown that close bonds to family and having a strong emotional support system have a significant positive impact on our health and wellbeing. Centrepoint’s CEO, Manu Jeswani, says, “When I was younger I often missed out on spending precious moments with family due to work commitments. I have learnt from that and today my family is my priority and I make sure to spend quality time with my wife and children on the weekends and on family holidays. Work is an important aspect of life, but family comes first.”

Top tips on spending quality time with children:

1.      Keep devices out of reach

Put your phone away or on charge while you’re spending time with your family. Make sure they have your full attention and you’ll see that your children are less irritable and attention seeking.

2.      Be prepared to make a mess and accept that this will happen

Don’t rule out activities just because they may take more time or involve more cleaning later. Enjoy the moments you have with your family and think of fun and creative ways to keep your children engaged. The memories you make will be more that worth the time and effort spent.

3.      Let your children take the lead and go with the flow

When children take the lead on activities, they gain and learn so much more. This will also help you connect better with them and get more insight on how they think and approach life.

4.      Talk more about today and less about tomorrow

Focus on learning in the moment and creating opportunities to gain from the current activity instead of focusing on what’s coming up tomorrow and putting pressure on the future. Make sure to breathe and enjoy the moment you’re in.

5.      Make time for kindness and compassion

Don’t be quick to judge and lead by example instead. Take the time to explain why your child’s actions are wrong and ask them to tell me you how they can make things right. Revisit the situation and talk about what they could have done differently and always let them know that you love them, even when they have acted up.