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The importance of family dinner time

What is mealtime like at your house? Does everyone take their plate and go to their own room? Or does cooking dinner in the old microwave sound more familiar, sitting in front of the TV, computer, or video game, and no one gets a chance to talk to each other? Given the hectic schedules many families have today, family dinner time has become a lost art.

Years ago, it was unusual for a family not to have dinner together. Even during biblical times, the fathers of families ruled the entire family from the dining room table.

They understood that dinner time was more than a time to eat, but it was an influence of time in the family. They realized that this had a profound impact on their family. Many studies have shown the positive force that eating together as a family can have on a child.

Children who do not eat dinner with their families are 60 percent more likely to use alcohol, tobacco, and/or illegal drugs. At the other end of that spectrum, kids who have dinner with their families are 20 percent more likely to drink, smoke, or use illegal drugs.

Teens who eat family dinners frequently are less likely than other teens to have sex, get into fights, and have a lower risk of suicidal thoughts.

There is a whole list of positive things that can happen when a family makes time for family dinner. This is a great time to get involved in your child’s life. Eating together encourages communication!

Allow each family member to talk about any problems and/or accomplishments they encountered during the day. This is also a good time to plan family trips, church activities, and upcoming events. Engage children in conversations that lead them to discuss schoolwork, sports, and other things that make them open up and share the details of their lives. The most important thing is to keep an open line of communication for each member to share ideas, stories, etc.

Sitting down to eat as a family can provide real quality family time and be just plain fun!
Pull up the chairs, serve the casserole, and laugh with everyone. Make dinner time fun and everyone will be looking forward to eating with the family.

Mix it up, have a picnic in the family room on the floor. When the weather is nice outside, have family dinner on the patio. Neither you nor your family will regret the memories or the positive impact your family will enjoy around your table…wherever you are. Bon Appetite!