Released Feb. 27, 2008
LINCOLN, Neb. —- Karen Grant didn't think anything was wrong with her family. Five years ago, Grant, 46, agreed to test activities sent to her by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension about strengthening families. She said she thought her family, including her husband, Bruce Grant, and her three children, Jason, Jeremy and Kristen, worked great together.
As part of the activity, each family member was asked if they ever felt put down by another family member. Grant, whose family lives outside of Meadow Grove, said she was surprised to find that Kristen often felt that way.
"We didn't feel like she was," Karen Grant said, "but she put down that she felt that way. By doing this, we did find out that there was a little problem that we could work on."
The activities later became the core of UNL Extension's book "Family Treasures: Creating Strong Families," which is full of activities designed to strengthen families. The book, first released in spring 2006, is available nationwide and is now in paperback.
"People sometimes just need a little information, a little encouragement and some direction down a path that will yield great benefits to them," said John DeFrain, a UNL Extension family scientist and principal author of "Family Strengths."
The book identifies six characteristics of strong families: appreciation and affection; commitment; positive communication; coping ability; spiritual well-being; and enjoyable time together. The book includes research results, inventories for family members to use in assessing their strengths and the best practice activities families can try.
"It tells families where they're at," said Gail Brand, a UNL Extension educator in Seward County. "The idea is to look at family strengths and grow by using your strengths instead of using all of the negatives."
DeFrain said the book is based on more than 30 years of UNL research. He said more than 24,000 family members in all 50 states and 34 countries were involved in more than 60 studies conducted by a global research team numbering more than 150.
Results from the book have been noticeable. Grant said her family participated in an activity in which they left notes for each other. She left notes in her children's cars when they were of driving age, reminding them to be safe and that she loved them.
"We just tried to do more things together," she said, "like go to movies together or go out and sled. We just spent more quality time together."
Brand said activities like these are necessary in a world where technology, such as video games, is taking away from the family's time together.
"I think as we work with families," Brand said, "we realized that the world we live in is so fast-paced. We feel like the family is really the foundation for our communities. In order to have strong communities, we need to work with families to keep them developing their family strengths.
Janet Hanna, a UNL Extension educator in Garfield County, agreed.
"One of the biggest things that I've seen is that people realize that spending time with their family is more important than more money," she said.
DeFrain said the book can also provide an invaluable service to society.
"Because family vitality is so critical in our world," he said, "as a society we need to focus our interest and energy on strengthening families."
The book is available for purchase at the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources E-Store Web site (https://middleloup.unl.edu/zen/), by contacting the UNL Extension Publication Warehouse at (402) 472-9712 or by calling a local UNL Extension office.
Extension is a division of the university's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
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http://ianrnews.unl.edu/static/0802270.shtml
Contacts: Gail Brand, (402) 643-2981
Janet Hanna, (308) 346-4200
John DeFrain, (402) 472-1659
Dan Moser, (402) 472-3007
