What You Need to Know About Family Dinners
Growing up, we always had family dinners. I didn’t realize at the time that soon it would be one of my fondest memories. No phones allowed, we sat with one another until everyone was done eating, it was purposeful. If we want to reach the heart of our children, we have to spend time being present and invested in them daily. I want to start by sharing some statistics with you. With a background in Exercise Science and nutrition I’ve always had an interest in healthier cooking so naturally I tend to avoid take out and opt for home cooked meals but we won’t get into the quality of food being eaten rather we will focus on the act of eating together. My family and I adopted the family tradition of eating dinner together around the table without realizing there have been years of studies done about eating dinner together as a family.
46% of families admit they are unable to have family dinners due to busy schedules - NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health
Of the 48% that regularly eat dinner together, only 46% were undistracted by the television, phones, or laptops during their time around the table.
Regular family dinners are shown to improve academic performance and self esteem - Stanford Children’s Health
Regular family dinners are shown to reduce risk of depression, substance abuse, and other physiological issues - NCBI Study
“The frequency of shared family meals is significantly related to nutritional health in children and adolescents.” reducing risk of obesity and creating health eating habits - NCBI Study American Academy of Pediatrics
These are just a few of the benefits of eating together. Scripture often highlights sharing meals with one another: Matthew 14:13–21, Revelation 3:20, Matthew 26:26–29, Proverbs 22:9 just to name a few. Jesus often stops and eats with others and he is an example to be followed. Eating together is an act of deepening relationships and serving one another. By eating dinner together as a family, you are encouraging your children to talk about their day, share the good and the tough with you as you work through it together. By eating dinner together as a family you are setting time apart that communicates to them, they are a priority and worth your time and attention. Eating around a table together is a purposeful act of discipleship with whomever is sharing the meal.
I promised I wouldn’t harp on the quality of food being shared with one another BUT if you are interested, here is my Pinterest account you can check out some of my Pinterest boards that share easy meal recipes. I’m all about the quick and simple so crockpot chicken for tacos, soups, and stir fry’s are my thing! Click here to check it out!
Libby Perritt and the Freed People Team
