Get Back to School with a Good Routine for the Family
Ah, a new school year! New friends to make, new sports to try, and all the new things we get to learn and experience.
Sadly, many families have to prioritize so they can fit all the new things in the precious 3-4 hours between work and bedtime. One of the first things to go is often quality family dinner time.
National studies show that more than 80 percent of parents consider eating dinner with their children very important, but less than 50 percent actually sit down together on a daily basis. These percentages decrease as children get older. With a teenager’s increasing independence – physically, emotionally and financially – and you have fewer and fewer family mealtimes at a time when vulnerable teens need them more than ever.
Science has validated that eating together regularly as a family brings with it many benefits, including improved grades, higher IQs, greater self-esteem, fewer behavioral and eating disorders, less stress, less depression and risk of suicide, and overall better behavior than their peers.
Psychologist Wade Horn described the practice of a family eating together as “parental office hours.” Dr. Horn said that mealtime is a positive context for caring and sharing. “Good relationships,” he said, “require time and interaction. Regular meals together provide an opportunity for teens to talk with their parents without making a big deal about it.”
Statistics show that a typical mom spends about an hour every day on grocery shopping, meal preparations and cleaning afterwards. With the busy school year starting, who has an hour each day to spend in the kitchen?
Home meal-solutions industry was born to solve this dilemma. In meal assembly stores, the staff takes care of the time-consuming chores including menu planning, shopping, cutting, washing and clean-up. The guests assemble 12 or more entrees that they serve to their families in the weeks ahead.
As we busy parents help our kids to start a great new school year, let’s think about how we can express our love for our families and children more effectively. It shouldn’t be so hard to create quality time together. Why not start by having family dinners together? Because dinner time is family time.