I don't think (though I may be wrong...) that there's much controversy over what "free time" is. It's time when you have nothing scheduled and when you can decide, on the spur of that moment, what you are going to do, and change your mind every minute if you like. After you schedule something in it, it might still be "leisure time" but it's no longer "free time".
How much is necessary I'm not sure; that's more difficult. I don't think five minutes contributes, though, really - the importance of it is the experience of deciding what to do with it, and five minutes isn't long enough to have that really. You only get a chance to do one thing, and not much of that. Sorry.
I've just finished reading Amy Chua's book at a sitting. Very strange experience. It's funny and insightful - and yet horrifying; she knows, and yet doesn't know, what she sounds like. You should read it, Wren.
