Do families still eat dinner together?
Many of us hold cherished childhood memories of dinners around the family table. It wasn’t fancy and there certainly wasn’t any fuss; it simply was the agreed upon time for everybody in the family to come together to catch up over a meal. Dishes were passed down the table to devour and laughter filled the air as everyone discussed today’s happenings and more. What ever happened to that?
Families crowded around the table was a common sight decades ago but today’s families are eating together less and less, no doubt a symptom of the fast-paced life of this modern day and age. With parents busier than ever working to make a living and children with so many extra-curricular activities to attend, there’s an increasing number of families eating on-the-go or individual members eating by themselves. It’s a pity when something so simple can affords us meaningful time with our loved ones.
Of course, the act of getting people to eat around a table does not automatically equal quality time, but more often than not the dinner table acts as a place of community. Mealtimes are often the most reliable way – we all have to eat – for families to connect with each other and find out what’s going on in everyone’s life. Even the moodiest of all teenagers can be coaxed into offering a titbit of their life in the communal, relaxed atmosphere of family dinnertime. But more than that, family mealtimes create a strong and real sense of belonging. We didn’t know we were creating memories at the time but when you think back on your favourite family experiences, it usually does centre on a family meal. It might have been the excitement leading up to the weekly Sunday roast, your children’s first Christmas lunch or that special one-on-one lunch with the grandparents. They say hindsight is 20/20 but it really is the simple pleasures with the people you love most that stay with you.
Research has shown that regular and meaningful family dinners confer positive benefits for the brain, the body and the soul – and best of all, you don’t even know it when all you’re doing is satiating your appetite while spending quality time with your family. So let’s bring back the sacred family dinner but modernise it – it doesn’t have to be dinner, it doesn’t have to be every week, and it doesn’t have to big, elaborate get-togethers, but just a promise that we will all set time aside time for the people we love most. After all, eating together is such a small simple act, requiring only our time and our appetites, but it gives us a multitude of rewards – happiness, memories and meaningful moments with loved ones.
Related links:
Why it’s imperative to share your memories with grandchildren
The best FREE family history websites to use
5 ways to build a child’s self esteem