Parents Talk: Finding Time for the Family Meal

I’m sure many of us have fond memories of dinner (or supper) time growing up.

Living on a dairy farm in Wisconsin, mealtimes in my family were always three things -- big (and full of meat and potatoes), home-cooked and always, ALWAYS eaten at the dinner table. No exceptions.

Mealtime served two purposes -- to ready and replenish ourselves for a full day of hard work but, more importantly, to share and reconnect as a family. Talk about our day at school or what went wrong on the farm, which calves needed to be moved or dehorned and what was going on at church or in 4-H that week.

These days, the family meal has become a luxury more than a necessity, especially during the school year when the kids need to be ferried to practice, dance class or any number of activities.

It can be downright near impossible on these nights to get a sit-down meal together -- one that doesn’t include Domino’s or KFC and isn’t eaten in the living room -- but studies show it benefits your children greatly.

Compared to kids who eat together with their families less than three times a week, children and teens who have frequent family dinners are more likely to get better grades and less likely to engage in a number of risky activities like drinking, smoking or doing drugs.

It can also curb eating disorders in young girls and give teens a greater sense of belonging and better self-esteem.

Increased Communication -- One of the biggest benefits to regular family meals is better communication. Parents know more about what’s going on in their children’s lives, and kids feel like their parents are interested in what they say or do. Experts caution parents should be careful not to dominate the conversation, and try to steer clear or topics that could cause arguments or some kind of conflict. Focus on successes and positive experiences.

Better Academic Performance -- In a 1994 survey of 2,000 high school seniors, students who ate dinner with the families four or more times a week scored better on academic tests than those who did not. Studies have also found that preschoolers whose families eat together have better language skills because they hear more spoken language and get more time to process adult conversations.

Improved Nutrition -- This should come as little surprise, but researchers have found that when families eat together they tend to consume more vegetables, fruits and juice and less soda and fried foods. A Harvard study also found that children who ate family dinners more frequently had healthier eating habits -- even when not at home.

Now, I know better than anyone that this is all easier said than done.

But the research is overwhelming and serves as a good reminder now that school is starting that it’s worth it to throw some spaghetti on the stove and toss a salad in place of the everyone-fend-for-themselves mentality when it comes to family mealtime.