Family Dinner

How many people eat dinner together as a family these days? Not just occasionally, but on a regular basis? I am 44 now and I remember back when I was a teenager, the family dinner was already on a decline, eviscerated by the TV dinner, prime time news, sports games, and busy schedules. It hasn’t gotten any better either. Survey’s show that only around 29% of families eat dinner together 4-6 times per week. I get it, everyone has a busy schedule these days, there don’t seem to be enough hours in a day to fit everything in, and it doesn’t seem to end. Yet, the benefits to having dinner together as family are tremendous. Maybe family dinner on a regular basis should be one of those things that more families try to fit in instead of another activity. I and my family are part of that 29% that eats dinner together regularly, probably close to 6 times a week on average. Its just one of those things that we have made a priority, fit it in, because since day 1, we have wanted to stress the importance of time together as a family. What better way than to share a meal together and hear about each other’s days.

We have a son and a daughter, essentially both teenagers at this point, and they still both come to the table without argument because that is what we do. At this point, since we have been partaking in family dinners for so long, it is next to impossible to get a word in edgewise with them. They are generally eager to share the details of the day with us, the struggles they had, their successes, and the funny stories that happened along the way. Often times, its just important for us to listen, to show them we are interested in their lives. Other times, a more active role is required, offering advice and tips for dealing with situations. This happens almost every night without background noise, no TV on with the news on loop, no music on the radio playing, just us talking together at the table. The importance of the family dinner was instilled in me when I was young and we would eat together as a family almost every night. If my dad was going to be late from work, we would move dinner later, much the same as we do now if one of our children is going to be coming home late from a practice or music lesson. It doesn’t always work, but we make it happen most of the time.

Our family dinner is our check in time, our quiet time where the rest of the world doesn’t exist, just us around our dining room table, silverware clinking on the plates, the smell of fresh cook food wafting through the air. Our children setting the placemats, even our son began cooking one meal a week for a time. Its one of our good habits as a family, one that I hope is instilled so deep within our children that they continue it when they leave the house, carrying on the tradition. I feel more than allowing us to share our days with each other and push the rest of the world away for 20-30 minutes, it solidifies the bond we have with each other, our willingness to talk, to be open with each other. Its those moments at the dinner table that we carry with us throughout the day, that help get us through our daily struggles because we know we have each other at the end of it to support each other. if you don’t have family dinner together on a regular basis, why not? Maybe try fitting it in and seeing the benefits it brings to your own family.