The need for families to have dinner together Family Dinner Time Dinner is very important to share with your family.
It is one of the only times during the day that the entire family is together.
Families talk about many different things at dinner.
It is a time to catch up with everyone and see what happened with them that day.
Families will discuss the most important events that happened during the day such as a special event at school or work, upcoming exams, projects, or promotions, field trips or business trips, new students/friends or colleagues.
Families will also discuss problems that happened and will come up with a solution as a family.
Parents will talk and advise their children.
Families will also talk about a funny situation that happened.
It is important to keep connected as a family to know what is going on and to makes plans for the future.
It is important that dinner as a family is made a great and happy experience.
You want everyone to look forward to dinner time not dread it.
To keep dinner time an enjoyable experience for everyone some rules may need to be put in place.
General rules may include: no interrupting, no yelling, no arguing, and no using examples from the past which might impede harmony construction.
If an argument develops due to a discussion it should be continued elsewhere, after dinner.
The father's role is explicitly regulative.
Rules are set down primarily by the father.
The father will keep conversations on track.
The mother's role is more directed at making sure that dinner is attended by all family members and that everyone is on time.
Families that eat together, stay together.
Dinner time is one of the only times families are all together.
It is where most conversations take place.
Conversation can increase social development.
Sharing family meals is key for a children's development.
Teens who don't eat with their families note more tension at home.
Those who eat dinner as a family 5-7 times per week are 40% more likely to talk to their parents about a problem.
Other statistics found when families at dinner together: Academic performance went up 38%; kids were 142% less likely to smoke, 93% less likely to drink, 191% less likely to use marijuana and 169% less likely to have more than half of their friends be drug users.
Eating together as a family can also create better eating habits.
Research has shown that eating family meals together during adolescence resulted in adults who ate more fruit, dark green and orange vegetables and key nutrients, and drank less soft drinks.
When it comes to dinner time it is important that all family members bring with them their full attention.
At dinner time there should be no distractions.
TV, radio, video games and MP3's should all be off.
No books, homework, magazines, or newspapers at the table.
There should be no other interruptions - answering the door or telephone.
If you are expecting company, ask them to please arrive after your dinner.
Anyone that calls can be called back.
Not every family has the opportunity to eat dinner together everyday due to work schedules etc.
But it is important that the family sit down and figure out their schedule on a regular basis and make a point of having dinner altogether as a family at least once a week or more if possible.