Dinner's Ready!

“Over three decades of research have shown that regular family meals offer a wide variety of physical, social-emotional and academic benefits. While some of these benefits can be gained through other activities, eating together is the only single activity that is known to provide all of them at the same time.” — The Family Dinner Project

Those benefits can be:

·      Higher grades

·      Lower chance of substance abuse and teen pregnancy

·      Higher self esteem

·      Lower risk of depression

·      Lower risk of obesity or developing eating disorders

And at specific ages more vocabulary in preschoolers, better cardiovascular health in tweens/teens, and better eating habits in young adults. “For the littlest family members, sharing a dinner at the table with parents does several awesome things. First, it helps promote language skills as you talk with them, and your partner, about the day. It also helps them develop patience and dexterity through the use of utensils. And it helps them develop social skills that include manners and taking turns. “ — Patrick Coleman, Fatherly.

As a child, I sat with my family for dinner almost every night. Once my older sister and I hit high school, family dinners dwindles to a few nights a week because of our schedules. However, buy this time their impact was evident. Guess what? My daughter and I sit down to dinner together most nights. In fact even as an infant, I feed her when her dad and/or I were eating our meals to get her used to the three meals-a-day approach.

“When a family sits down together, it helps them handle the stresses of daily life and the hassles of day-to-day existence. Eating together tends to promote more sensible eating habits, which in turn helps family members manage their weight more easily. “ — Standford Children’s

Full disclosure, I don’t just do dinner with my daughter to check in on her, but to hear the latest gossip. She’s 17 and the stories she tells could very well be a movie plot. “Research also suggests that when a family eats together they feel a strong bond with one another. Everyone leads disconnected lives at work and school, and this time allows them to reconnect . And you’ll also be able to keep tabs on your kids’ lives. So when Ricky tells Tina that Julie said Tommy was going to ask Rebecca to be his girlfriend, you’ll damn well know about it.” — Patrick Coleman, Fatherly.

So in a nutshell, family dinners help your family stay connected, keep your kids out of trouble and develop healthy eating habits in all.