Latest news with #FamilyConnectionWeek
Mint
7 days ago
- Mint
The next big thing in luxury travel: A family therapist
On a sprawling estate on New Zealand's Matakana Coast, there's an infinity pool, a heated spa, a secret wine cellar and a tennis court for vacationing guests. Another unusual luxury: on-site counseling. Bluestone Families, which operates retreats on the estate, sees vacations as the future site for fostering healthy dynamics between parents and kids. In the digital age, where devices compete for attention at nearly every waking hour, Bluestone's founders believe raising children is harder than ever—including for the very wealthiest. For about $80,000 (not including airfare), families can get all of the usual benefits of a far-flung trip, from delicious meals to adventurous outdoor activities, plus a professional therapist on hand. Madeline Avery, 35, went on a five-night retreat in October 2024 with her husband, Jack, and their children, who are 8 and 5 years old. 'I wanted to be connected now rather than trying to fix this when my kids are teenagers," she said. The Averys, who live in Australia and own a luxury yacht-charter company among other businesses, learned about Bluestone Families after Madeline stumbled upon the estate on Instagram. 'Because we go away so much and we go to so many amazing places, I was really worried about my kids becoming bratty, becoming overly privileged," Jack Avery, 37, said. Yes, their retreat was in a picturesque luxury setting. But between archery and kayaking, the parents worked on addressing their kids' frustrations, they all spent less time on their phones and the family started a new ritual of sharing 'highs and lows" of the day at the dinner table. 'We got more in a week there than I have in three weeks in France," Jack Avery said. Miraval Berkshires, an adults-only resort in Lenox, Mass., began including kids in a Family Connection Week last year, focused on mindfulness and family dynamics. According to general manager Gilbert Santana, the concept was so successful—about 500 people attended the first event in April 2024—that it is planning its third in November. The cost is more than $1,000 a night, per person. Santana said it is helping children get on a 'mindful journey early." Together, families are taking part in cupcake or taco-building workshops, as well as snow hikes. 'There are digital-friendly areas, but you find people more and more staring at the mountains, watching the sunset," he said. Psychologist Paul J. Donahue, who has a practice focused on children and parents in Scarsdale, N.Y., said that in his clinical experience, children of wealthy parents face two major challenges: 'a very intense pressure to achieve and then often a feeling of isolation from their parents." All of this, he said, has intensified in recent years. 'The biggest antidote we know against anxiety, depression, loneliness, substance abuse is having a sense of family closeness," Donahue said. It's time, not money, that limits these families in their ability to connect, said Christy Menzies, the Florida-based founder of Menzies Luxe Retreats. For that reason, it's important for them to get the most out of their trips. She's just not sure having a counselor present is the right way to achieve it. 'To me, that's a riskier endeavor, because you can start going in a direction you didn't want to go." J. Stuart Ablon, psychologist and associate professor at Harvard Medical School, said retreats might be a starting point, but likely not a solution, to many families' challenges. 'If they're complicated issues and family dynamics or significant challenges people are having, you're not going to fix much in a five-night stay," he said. Patrycja Slawuta, a behavioral scientist in Australia, said that's the point. 'Taking people out of context, out of what's familiar, actually opens their minds. People don't take their usual roles that they normally do, they don't sit at the same table they normally do," she said. She currently works with private families and family offices on integrating family wealth and has held multigenerational retreats as part of that work. With Australia in the midst of the largest generational transfer of wealth—a silver tsunami that is also sweeping other countries, including the U.S.—there has been an increased focus on family relationship dynamics. One of the top reasons that wealth transfers fail, various studies have found, has to do with poor communication and relationship challenges. 'People who don't know how to integrate wealth, they're getting torched by it," said Slawuta, who works with wealthy, complex families who are typically already in the process of a wealth transfer. 'In order for the system to thrive, it needs to evolve and it needs to learn, and it needs to be generative." Mornings at Bluestone start with family yoga or meditation in its geodesic dome. That's followed by family breakfast on a sun-filled patio and a parent coaching session, where everything from learning difficulties, sibling rivalries and relationship issues with either parent are on the table. The company's co-founders, former human-resources executive Andrea Grant Robbiati and child and family psychologist Deirdre Brandner, came up with the idea during a girls' trip in 2019 to the New Zealand property, which Grant Robbiati owns. Brandner had been having session after session with parents worried about their children, and Grant Robbiati was seeing parents whose struggles at home were spilling over into the workplace. The women, who each have three adult children, had the idea to cater to high-performing, high-earning parents who needed support connecting with their families. 'This is the first step," said Brandner, who emphasized she offers advice rather than traditional counseling to parents on-site. The company also does follow-up calls with guests after they leave, to help parents continue their journey. Since 2023, they have hosted eight families on retreats, with Brandner on site to advise parents. The retreats have attracted interest from executives and the ultrawealthy, the co-founders said. Some prospective clients have asked to host retreats on their own compounds for added privacy, the co-founders said. The global law firm Dentons has offered its corporate employees in Australia seminars from Bluestone Families. 'It's become more apparent that the parenting challenges of today's world are really a hidden stress for many of our leaders and employees," said Maureen Migliazzo, the chief operating officer for Dentons' Australasia region. 'Managing parenting challenges is really an important aspect of our employees' well-being program." Write to Sara Ashley O'Brien at
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Utah Gov. Cox wants you and your family to unplug this week. Here's why
For "Family Connection Week" from June 9 to June 15 2025, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox wants Utahns to put down their screens and spend time with their families. (Stock photo by Daniel de) Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has declared this week as 'Family Connection Week' to encourage Utahns to put down their phones and 'disconnect to reconnect' with loved ones. 'Spending quality time together strengthens our bonds, fosters better communication and creates lasting memories that carry us through life's challenges,' Cox said in a prepared statement. 'This week is a chance to really listen, connect and to make sure the people around us know they are valued.' From Monday to Friday this week, Cox wants Utahns to dedicate time to 'unplug from devices and reconnect through meaningful, screen-free activities,' he office said in a news release. 'This special week encourages families to be fully present with one another to create lasting memories and stronger bonds. It's the latest way Cox has encouraged Utahns to cut back on social media. He's been an outspoken critic of the addictive nature of social media algorithms and especially their negative impacts on kids. In 2023, his office launched a public awareness campaign urging parents to learn about the harms social media can have on youth. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX That campaign announcement highlighted a 2023 survey of 609 Utahns conducted by Lighthouse Research that found Utah parents reported 76% of their children use social media in some capacity, 57% use it seven days a week, and 53% use it one to three hours a day. That survey also found 88% of Utahns said social media had a detrimental impact on children and youth. According to another study published last month, researchers at the University of California San Francisco found that as preteens used more social media, their depressive symptoms increased. Using data from nearly 12,000 kids ages 9 to 10 and then three years later at 12 and 13, the study found on average, kids' social media use rose from seven to 73 minutes per day over the three years of the study, and their depressive symptoms went up 35%. In the announcement for 'Family Connection Week,' Cox's office data from the Utah Student Health and Risk Prevention (SHARP) survey that 'supports the importance of shared time, especially mealtime.' 'Mealtimes are critical to foster communication and connection. In fact, Utah youth who sit down to eat at least one meal a week with their family are 45% less likely to report feeling depressed, 70% less likely to use vape products and 54% less likely to consider suicide,' the governor's office said, citing the SHARP survey. Social media companies applaud Utah's latest bill aimed at teen social media use 'At the same time, excessive screen time — especially on social media — can take a toll on mental health and family cohesion,' the governor's office added. 'Positive, in-person interactions lay the foundation for resilience and safety for children and adults alike. Family Connection Week encourages families to 'disconnect to reconnect' and take time to talk, laugh and connect without distractions.' In a Youtube video announcing the 'Family Connection Week' declaration, First Lady Abby Cox said their family this week will be 'making a conscious effort to put down our screens and be fully present with one another, and we invite you to do the same.' 'We are carving out time to play board games, cook meals, and participate in recreational activities together,' Abby Cox said. Encouraging Utahns to learn more about the effort, Cox's office pointed to a page on the state's website that offers a list of activities Utahns can do in their areas. The website also offers resources for parents, including stress management advice, parenting tips, child development information, and a directory for assistance programs for food, housing, access to physical and mental health care, affordable child care, utilities assistance, and more. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Kids falling behind as parents treat ‘iPads as pacifiers'
If Tami Larsen could go back in time, the preschool teacher of 20 years said she'd have fiercer limits on her own children's screen time. She places strong limits now at Miss Tami's Preschool, where screens are used only rarely and then always interactively and for an educational reason. Jody Zabriskie's A to Z Building Blocks preschool and child care facilities don't use screens at all. She said that sometimes greatly frustrates the parents who do use them. Both child care professionals told Deseret News they know well the ill effects of using 'iPads as pacifiers,' as Utah officials call it. They note an increase in children who don't know how to self-soothe when they have strong emotions, so there are more tantrums and screams. Some kids have no idea how to share, either. They believe screens have a lot to do with it. 'Emotional outbursts and limited self-regulation skills' is how Zabriskie describes it, noting that parents often don't know emotional regulating techniques, either, but teaching it should start in infancy including breathing exercises.' Utah state officials are well aware of the data on screen time and the impact on children of various ages and say it's not very heartwarming. So Thursday, Gov. Spencer Cox and his wife Abby released a video and an announcement of Family Connection Week June 9-15 across the state. Getting families to mind their screen time is central to the messaging. 'Spending quality time together strengthens our bonds, fosters better communication and creates lasting memories that carry us through life's challenges,' the governor said in the release. 'This week is a chance to really listen, connect and to make sure the people around us know they are valued.' 'As we thought about what can make a big impact for families, we recognized that doing a better job getting off devices, not using screens so often and spending real intentional time together is so critical,' said Aimee Winder Newton, who oversees Utah's Office of Families. 'We really are encouraging families to put their devices down and enjoy a family meal or an activity together. The data is so strong showing family dinners together help kids.' According to the Utah Student Health and Risk Prevention (SHARP) survey, when Utah teens sit down to eat at least one meal with family, they are 45% less apt to report feeling depressed, 70% less likely to vape and 54% less likely to consider suicide. Positive in-person interactions lay the foundation for resilience and safety for children and adults alike, the announcement said. And while putting aside social media and screens in general is important at all ages, Winder Newton said that an overlooked group are the littlest kids. Perhaps almost unbelievably, screen time in some families starts nearly from birth, as babies get parked in front of screens for distraction. And among those who are a bit older, the iPad or smartphone or TV are sometimes used as a calming tool whenever a child is cranky. That's bad news for a lot of reasons, including because excessive screen time has been linked by research to developmental delays in speech, motor skills and emotional intelligence, as well as sleep disruptions. It increases sedentary time and dilutes ability to problem solve. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry both say babies should have absolutely no screen time. Winder Newton notes one exception: interactive activities like FaceTiming with a grandparent. The pediatric group's recommendation is that children 18 months to 2 years old should have absolutely zero solo use of screens and when an adult is with them using screens, it should be limited to educational material. Those ages 2 to 5 should have an hour or less and only view it with a parent or sibling. Finally, children 6 and older should have two hours tops and parents should 'place consistent limits on time and media type.' 'Children learn best when they're watching with someone else and the adult can explain what they're watching,' Winder Newton said of children preschool-age and younger. She admits that she's a fan of screens when it comes to connecting little kids to relatives. She loves to FaceTime with her granddaughter when she can't visit her, though they don't live very far apart. They play peek-a-boo or sing songs and it's smiles all around. And she notes that educational shows can be good for kids, in limited amounts and if they're high quality. Winder Newton said she understands that parents come home from work sometimes and just need a minute. But screens with the very littlest ones are not a good solution. And the worst use of screens at that age — 'it's very concerning,' she said — is distracting or soothing a child by just handing them a screen to watch. 'That's where we're starting to see some trouble.' Those children don't learn to self-soothe or distract themselves without a device. 'Their social and emotional maturity is lacking because they don't have that interaction with people or learn how to soothe themselves.' However, she added, if you're stuck on a plane with a screaming child, the screen could be a valuable tool. 'But when you're at home during the day, make sure that's not a constant part of their daily routine and they're getting plenty of other interaction. It's really, really important,' said Winder Newton. Larsen has also been a substitute teacher for a long time in a local school district. She thinks kindergartners and those in first grade have the hardest time with self-control, but part of that is because that's the age group that didn't get outside social exposure during COVID-19, she added. Children ages 3 to 5 are not all well-versed in showing respect and many seem to feel entitled in ways that children that age did not years ago, she said. Zabriskie notes that screens do calm children, which is why many parents see it as an effective tool. The babies and toddlers are stimulated by the lights and the rapidly changing images that are common in screens. When they hear A to Z Building Blocks doesn't use screens, parents sometimes offer to bring in their own iPad in case their child struggles with strong emotions. She said it's common with children who have special needs, too. Zabriskie's a fan of teaching children breathing techniques. 'OK, let's breathe together. Let's figure this out together, rather than I am going to put you over here because I've got to deal with my own emotions.' She also says to give parents some grace. 'Really, I think parents are doing the best that they possibly can and as providers, we do the best that we can. You can never say anything bad about either source because everyone's just trying to do the best that they can to help these children.' Larsen believes parental screen time has as much impact as the kids' use of screens. Children are affected when they can't get the attention of a parent whose face is in a phone. 'I really do feel like that affects the children's self-esteem. It affects their ability to get their point across; they're crying out for attention and then they try to get it in negative ways because they are not getting it.' Zabriskie said parents must learn to calm themselves so they can teach techniques to their children. The American Academy of Pediatrics offers these recommendations, shared by Utah officials: Don't use screen time to pacify, babysit or end tantrums. No screens during family meals and outings. Don't use screens while feeding your child. Use parental controls — and control your own screen use around children to model healthy screen habits. Build in lots of face-to-face time, as it boosts language ability, emotional intelligence and social skill development. Winder Newton said she loved to take her toddlers to the grocery store, despite the risk of tantrums. There were lots of colors and things to talk about, people smiling and interacting. And if a tantrum was brewing, it was a chance to teach her youngsters how not to behave and that a tantrum wouldn't get them what they wanted. The Utah Department of Health and Human Services offers a list of suggested activities to 'disconnect and reconnect' during Family Connection Week.
