Family Dinner: It’s More Significant than you Might Think

Do you still remember the last time you had dinner with your family? We often miss our family dinner because we work late, the kids are playing games or we are tired from daily activities. But, skipping family dinner can be harmful to your family.

Family dinner is not just another meal. Usually, it is the only time that families spend together through the week. Whether you sit down to the dinner table or enjoy a meal on tray tables and a movie in the family room, the essential thing is that you are together.

Some interesting facts surround family dinner time. For example, teenagers that eat dinner with their family are less expected to get mixed up in drugs, alcohol or other unlawful activity. This is one thing most parents will find remarkable. Out of all the things you do in trying to keep your kids away from bad influences, the one thing that has the greatest power is still the occasion that we skip regularly.

Why is family dinner so vital? For one thing, it is a time to share your views and feelings. The whole day, your children are influenced by teachers, friends and the outside world. At the dinner table, they get to connect with their parents on challenging issues like schoolwork, peer pressure, friendships and many other things. Each of them can share and help one another with valuable suggestions. Parents can even discuss about their work or the condition of family finances over a meal.

The main goal is that conversation is taking place. The average parent speaks to their kids less than 40 minutes per week. Saying "Hi!" when you come in at night may take a second, but that it is not effective communication. However, in a family dinner, at the very least you’re spending around 45 minutes to an hour discussing just about everything and anything in your mind. Even while you are watching a TV program, engaging questions may come up from topics taken up in the program.

Young kids learn how to communicate through their siblings and parents. Usually, they are the center of attention with questions about their day and it makes them feel happy. You see kids always want attention when they are at a certain age and this helps them learn to share the limelight with others.

For teenage girls, body image is everything. Learning to cook and eat nourishing family dinner is an indication that eating the right food will keep their bodies in shape and not avoiding food. Of course, teen age girls are less likely to suffer from eating disorder, but it would be good to develop in them a healthy view of food and their bodies by having a set family dinner time.

There are lots of advantages to having a family dinner time. It is a moment for valuable communication that leads to stronger self-worth that can refuse to give in to the urge of drugs, alcohol and other negative influences on your kids and teens.