Kristine Snodgrass, Staff Writer
MONTGOMERY — On Tuesday night, Belle Mead resident Karen Santoro will be taking the night off to stay at home with her family.
Her three kids, aged 10, 11 and 13, will for once not be dashing around to their different after school activities, including scouts, karate or ballet, or working on mounds of homework.
Normally, it can be hard to get everyone to sit down to dinner together, with kids and parents going different directions, she said.
But that won’t be the case Tuesday. She’s participating in the Montgomery/Rocky Hill Night Off, a community-wide observance of the importance of family that asks residents to take a night off from normal commitments.
At the urging of the Municipal Alliances and Youth Services Commission, who organized the event, the Montgomery Township School District, houses of worship, scouts and various community organizations have agreed to a night without meetings, practices, games, rehearsals or homework on Tuesday.
Families are encouraged to recognize the event however they wish. Mrs. Santoro said she thinks it’s a great idea.
”I think we’re probably just going to stay home and we’ll have pizza,” she said. “The kids will rejoice in not having homework and we’ll watch a movie.”
Township Committeeman Brad Fay, liaison to the alliance, said the event furthers the group’s main mission to prevent substance abuse problems.
”We see it as a cost-free opportunity to broadly promote the importance of family spending quality time together, as a means to prevent the factors that can lead to problems for youth,” he said.
It was inspired by a similar event that was held in Hopewell, he said.
”What we realize is that we all live such busy lives nowadays that if you have a family of four or five people, it can be pretty rare that you all have the same night free,” he said.
The alliance convinced a few local restaurants to offer discounts to families that come in with the township’s flier advertising the night. But apart from that, nothing formal has been organized, Mr. Fay said.
”It’s a nonevent event,” he said. “It’s the absence of activities that makes this a special night.”
In getting the word out, the school district has been a strong partner, he said, notifying parents through kids’ grade reports and papers sent home.
Homework and after school activities were also curtailed, which was made easier because the date was selected to fall in between winter and spring sports seasons, he said.
Mr. Fay said he hopes that the message of the Night Off resonates as families’ busy lives start up again, he said.
”It’s a great opportunity for everybody on this one night, but it also sends a strong message that it’s important for families to spend time together,” he said.

