When 1500 school-age children were asked, “What do you think makes a happy family?” the answer they gave most was “doing things together,” according to the book Secrets of Strong Families, by Nick Stinnett and John Defrain.
“Doing things together.” If you think about that answer for a moment, you’ll instantly understand how a swimming pool can make a real difference in quality family time, as well as time together for family and friends.
Because swimming pools are gathering places -private sanctuaries in your own backyard where you can escape the rigors of everyday stresses and enjoy time together. From daily laps in the pool, to birthday parties, backyard barbecues and simple horsing around, your swimming pool can become a destination point-and a gathering place-for families and friends.
Stinnett and Defrain establish a simple baseline in their book-one that is echoed automatically when considering the many benefits of a swimming pool: A healthy family needs time together.
But time isn’t always easy to come by. Between work schedules, school activities and other commitments, many families have a difficult time finding all-important family time. Swimming pools offer families a daily escape, a backyard vacation, if you will-right outside their back door! Managing household responsibilities, avoiding the telephone, the computer and the television allows families to catch up on what’s going on in their daily lives.
Studies show that spending time together as a family boosts children’s self-esteem and promotes healthy social development. What’s more, with school being out for summer, parents can make a concerted effort to make time together with family and friends a priority.
Swimming pools provide an automatic destination place for family time that’s sure to make a splash with parents and children alike-and if enjoyed liberally, will help to satisfy one of the great and simple requests of school-age children: Doing things together.
