{"id":11994,"date":"2020-04-23T06:00:30","date_gmt":"2020-04-23T10:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=11994"},"modified":"2020-04-18T18:06:39","modified_gmt":"2020-04-18T22:06:39","slug":"the-many-benefits-of-the-family-meal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2020\/04\/the-many-benefits-of-the-family-meal.html","title":{"rendered":"The Many Benefits of the Family Meal"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nAre you are bored and clicking through old TV shows (think, TVLand)? Have you noticed something similar in most of those shows? Families sit at the dinner table, share a meal, laugh and talk to one another. It’s what used to happen in many American households. Unfortunately, due to our busyness, commuting and other factors, the American family has pretty much lost this important tradition.\u00a0However, during this challenging time of staying at home, family meals are making \u00a0a comeback. Perhaps this is one of the positive things to come out of the pandemic.<\/p>\n

According to a number of studies, families who eat meals together reap a host of benefits. So, during this time of quarantine, take time to eat together but also to prepare meals together. When I was a teen, I learned to cook helping my mother and grandmother in the kitchen. I watched how they made a roux, gravies, pies and more. \u00a0I was “home” schooled in cooking. And because we are all “homeschooling,” now is the \u00a0time to revive this tradition. When you do, make your dinner time pleasant, fun and enjoyable.<\/p>\n

If motivation to make this change is a problem, consider these 7 benefits. \u00a0Families who eat meals together:<\/p>\n

1) \u00a0 \u00a0Decrease their child\u2019s likelihood to drink, smoke or use illegal drugs.<\/p>\n

2)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Decrease a teen\u2019s likelihood to have sex at a young age.<\/p>\n

3) \u00a0 Decrease their child’s likelihood to get in fights, be suspended from school or become suicidal.<\/p>\n

4)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Improve nutrition of their family members and eat healthier.<\/p>\n

5)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Improve family relationships and intimate connections.<\/p>\n

6) \u00a0 \u00a0Improve a child\u2019s academic success.<\/p>\n

7) \u00a0 Improves a child’s self-esteem and resilience.<\/p>\n

What incredible benefits! All you have to do is eat together. Prioritize this for your family. Hey, quarantine is allowing us to develop good habits. Hopefully, knowing all the benefits of family meals, this is a habit you will continue long after our stay at home time ends.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sources:<\/p>\n

Columbia News, CASA 2000 Teen Survey. Teens With \u201cHands-Off\u201d Parents at Four Times Greater Risk of Smoking, Drinking, and Using Illegal Drugs as Teens With \u201cHands-On\u201d Parents, last referenced 10\/1\/2002.<\/p>\n

Sandra L. Hofferth, \u201cChanges in American Children\u2019s Time,\u201d1981-1997.\u201d University of\u00a0Michigan\u2019s Institute for Social Research, Center Survey, January, 1999. National probability samples of American families with children ages 3-12, using time diary data from 1981 and 1997. Findings on how time use is associated with children\u2019s well-being are reported in Hofferth, S. L., \u201cHow American Children Spend Their Time,\u201d\u00a0Journal of Marriage and the Family,<\/em>\u00a0(2001).63, 295-308. Retrieved online October 4, 2004, \u00a0from http:\/\/216.239.41.104\/search?q=cache:H5jg_Q0-v74J:edprojects.che.umn.edu\/takeback\/downloads\/research.pdf+overscheduled+kids+and+underconnected+families&hl=en<\/p>\n

Gillman, M.W., Rifas-Shiman, S.L., Frazier, A.L., Rockette, H.R.H., Camargo, C.A., Field, A.E., Berkey, C.S., & Colditz, G.A. \u201cFamily Dinners and Diet Quality Among Older Children and Adolescents,\u201d Archives of\u00a0Family Medicine,<\/em>(2000). 9,235-240. A questionnaire using 24- hour recall that was mailed to children of participants in the ongoing Nurses Health Study II. Retrieved online October 6, 2004, from http:\/\/216.239.41.104\/search?q=cache:H5jg_Q0v74J:edprojects.che.umn.edu\/takeba<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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