Make Time for Family Meals

It is the Holiday season and everyone is busy rushing around and the importance of family mealtime is greater than ever.  Results from a study done by Columbia University shows that children who regularly eat family dinners

• get higher grades
• are less likely to have substance abuse issues
• need less validation from their peers

Create a ritual or tradition around your family mealtime that helps to create an enjoyable, positive environment that is free from problems, nagging, and judgment.  Experts on this issue offer the following ideas for developing family rituals:

• light candles
• share highs and lows of the day (the Obama family calls them "Roses and Thorns")
• give different family members the chance to choose the menu and lead the conversation
• make the dinner table an "electronics free zone"

Carina L. Barker, MSW, LICSW, psychotherapist with St. Luke's Mental Health Services says the following about family mealtimes, "Intentional communication helps us connect with each other, ourselves and our values."  She strongly encourages parents to insist on family time, no matter how old your kids are.  "It's never too late to start creating your own family mealtime rituals."