The Importance of Family Time: Jayne Lessard

Jayne Lessard is a well known and respected marriage and family counselor. In addition to family and marriage therapy, Jayne Lessard also has experience working with depression, anxiety, adjustment to life transitions, eating disorders, grief, parenting skills, conflict resolution, stress management, communication, and spiritual concerns. Jayne Lessard has been working in the counseling field for over 32 years, and has had her own private practice for 24. As a well sought after therapist, Jayne Lessard has an extremely busy schedule; however, she always ensures she makes time for her family. Jayne Lessard is married to Paul Lessard and together the couple has two children. Jayne Lessard believes that spending time with family is of utmost importance, and here she highlights some of the advantages to designated family time.

·         Your children learn from experience. Jayne Lessard notes that children learn important life lessons from the time they spend with their own families. Thus, it is exceedingly important to create these “teachable moments” that can instill your children with important family values. Children watch everything and they are like sponges who will glean life changing lesson about caring for others, marriage, relationships, healthy conflict and most of all how to receive and give love. Although it may not seem like you are directly influencing your child during every interaction, you will see over time that these moments where lessons are caught, not taught, are the most impactful.

 

·         Trust. Spending quality time with your family helps develop familiarity and mutual trust. Jayne Lessard notes that children will learn trust from being trusted; additionally, when parents do this they are also teaching their children that they can independently and accomplish things on their own which leads to self sufficiency. 

Value. Most importantly, Jayne Lessard notes that quality time helps families communicate value to one another. Children long to be loved and treasured and nobody does this well than their parents and siblings. The sense of family that time spent together develops creates the strong, reliable foundation that helps children grow into healthy, confident adults.