In  an effort to enrich their children’s lives with daily activities that take
place outside the home, parents often spend a great deal of time transporting
their kids from one activity to another. In the end, they lack the time and/or the
energy to find out what’s really happening in the lives of their children. To
further complicate matters, the family meal, once a daily ritual that took
place at home, has been reincarnated as fast food in the back of the van while
speeding to the next activity.

Years  of studies indicate that the family meal has some significant benefits. Eating
together promotes good communication, strengthens family bonds and
relationships, teaches family values, improves nutrition, helps families solve
problems and learn about each other, saves money, brings order and structure to
families, and allows for discussion about family needs and activities. And, it
happens in a shared safe place with people who readily accept you for who you
are. Truth is, the family meal is a habit so powerful that many experts are
begging for its return. Consider the following reasons:

• A  positive relationship exists between the academic success of elementary school
  students and at-home meals with their families.
• College  students with meaningful family rituals, such as family meals, cope better with
  freshman-year stresses.
• The  number of days per week that adolescents eat meals with their families is a
  more powerful predictor of whether or not they are adjusted (less likely to
  take drugs, less likely to be depressed, more motivated at school, and engaged
  in better peer relationships) than age, gender or family type.

Convinced?  Here’s how to make it happen:

• Abandon the idea of creating a June Cleaver-style gourmet meal. Instead, focus on
  getting something on the table that everybody can eat. Being together is the
  most important thing, and let’s face it, some nights are more time-challenged
  than others.
• Recruit everyone to participate in the cooking and table setting. One person should not
  have to face the entire responsibility alone.
• Make sure everyone is at the table before you start to eat. If someone is late,
  perhaps you can at least enjoy dessert together.
• Turn off the TV and smart phones, abandon the headphones, and save reading materials
  for another time. They will only interfere with the conversation.
• Engage every member of the family in conversation–even the youngest.
• Ask questions that require more than one-word answers, and keep the lines of
  communication open by avoiding criticism.
• Reserve discussions about behavior, poor school performance, or other stressful topics
  for another time.
• Get everyone involved in the clean-up process.
• Take your time and relax. This is one part of the day that shouldn’t be rushed.

Spending daily time with your kids is vital to their health and well-being, and the
family meal is a great place to start. Tune in to your kids’ lives. Listen to
what they have to say. And ake them feel like you are putting them first.