Family Dinner is More Important Than You Think
No family is exempt from the hustle and bustle of the busy weekday grind. Whether both parents work outside the home or not, school (at home or away), work, housework, babies, kids, homework, sports, and all other things often stand in the way of slowing down for a meal shared with those you love the most. The benefits of gathering around the table and eating dinner as a family are nothing short of phenomenal. The research is almost unexplainable, but undeniably in favor of taking a short pause from the busyness of life and breaking bread together.
The Facts
As parents, we all desire a positive personal relationship with our children. Would you believe this is a reported side-effect of eating dinner together as a family? According to The Family Dinner Project, benefits reported are higher academic achievement, less chance of risky behaviors like drugs, sex, and drinking, less incidence of obesity, fewer behavioral and emotional problems, and healthier, less picky eaters! Achieving these goals that we all have for our children by simply prioritizing family dinner is more than worth it, don’t ya think?
What’s the Secret?
TIME. Humans (especially tiny ones) feel loved most not by material things or words spoken but in the precious commodity of time. Slowing down for a family meal conveys the truth that your family is worth it. It’s a sort of pause button on the day. The dinner table is the family hub to gather around, to reconnect, to find out what’s going on in each other’s lives, to have conversations, to make eye contact with one another for maybe the first time that day. There’s a sense of belonging around a dinner table that can’t be found elsewhere. It’s being a part of something bigger than yourself.
Why Don’t We Do It?
Across the board, research shows that family dinners have declined over time. The reason we’re not doing it is the same reason we really should be doing it. Time! We are all just. so. busy. Two working parents and kids’ extracurricular activities are often the only obstacles we need that prevent being home to have a family dinner. Add to that the exhaustion that naturally occurs in this stage of life and it’s really easy to let official family dinnertime take a backseat.
Make It Happen
- Plan it. Don’t leave it to chance, or it won’t happen!
- Does a daily family breakfast or lunch work better for your family? Gather then! It’s not about which meal you are eating but that you are eating a meal together.
- The more you dine with your family, the greater the benefits. There’s no magic number of times you should eat together…just do it as often as possible!
- It doesn’t have to be fancy. Pick up a bag of burgers on busy nights, but resist the temptation to eat in the car or to throw them at your kids on the couch as they watch TV. You can gather around the table for burgers just as well as you can for homemade lasagna.
- Get everyone on board. Express your desire to have meals together with your spouse and kids. Let everyone know how productive it is for you as a family unit, and ask them to respect family meal times.
Think of the conversations that may never be had if you don’t sit down for dinner together. The stories that won’t be shared. The struggles your child won’t ask for help with. The encouraging words between siblings that won’t be voiced. It’s not that we won’t wish for these conversations to occur otherwise, it’s just that, in passing, they’re much less likely. Just 15-30 minutes sitting around a table each day with your family will manufacture positive conversation, express love, and, according to the staggering statistics, a whole lot more.