Good article in the Tennessean this morning about dinner with the family! Darn, it’s so important and according to the article just under half of Americans (45%) and only 43% of Tennessean families find time to eat together almost every day. About 5% never have a meal together!
How can that be? They find time to go to soccer practice or dance, but not time to eat together! My advice, schedule it first! There is not another activity as important! Make time for it!
I know of one family, I’m sure there are others. The mom is a dietitian and knows the importance of eating together, but they are too busy at night so they get up a half hour earlier and have a family breakfast. That’ a great idea! But to make it effective the kids and the parents need to be awake, so that means they need to get to be 30 minutes earlier. And, as I have said so many times before, they must have their own alarm clocks and be responsible for being at the breakfast table, awake, alert,and on time!
Study after study shows that time together sharing food is associated with less trouble with school, drugs and alcohol, and teen pregnancy! How can you get better than that!
It doesn’t have to be a banquet every day. Even if it’s hamburgers picked up on the way home. There is not a better place to enjoy conversion. Your kids deserve it, and so do you!
So set a time every day when you and yours can sit down at the table and eat. Put that first on your calendar and don’t let anyone schedule anything at that time! Turn off the TV, telephones, video games, and texting. Just the family. You’ll all enjoy it, and in a few days look forward to that time together.
Try it, you’ll like it!!
(To read more about the importance of eating together read Chapter 3 in Messengers in Denim.)