By the time our children turn 12, 75% of the time we will spend with them has already passed

From the Ít hơn tốt hơn archive, 19 October 2022. This English version was prepared on 31 October 2026 from the archived Vietnamese excerpt, based on Ginny Yurich’s article on 1000 Hours Outside. It is not a verbatim copy of the English original. “I” and “our family” below refer to the source author and her family, not the family of C.S Chánh Niệm.

A note on the claim: The 75% figure in the title is a claim made by the source article. As noted when the archive was checked on 31 October 2026, the source does not cite a study, dataset, or calculation for it. Do not treat it as a verified statistic or a rule that applies to every family. The title is retained as part of the 2022 archive.

I have seen many articles about the 18 summers we get with our children. Although we may share the same intention, I strongly disagree with that number. By the time our children turn 12, 75% of the time we will spend with them over our lifetimes has already passed. It is unlikely that any of us will have 18 endless summers with our children.

Our time really is limited. Our family aims to spend at least 20 hours in nature each week during the summer. When the children spend extended periods outside, they become engaged, thoughtful, calm, and happy.

Source: Ginny Yurich — 75% of the Time We Spend With Our Kids in Our Lifetime Will Be Spent By Age 12.