we've gotten into the horrible habit in our home of loading our dinner plates with food, plopping down on the couch, and eating as baby noah passes back and forth between us, mouth wide open. and i should mention that the tv is usually on in the background.
as our boy is getting bigger and i feel like good habits can be formed, i want to start implementing family dinner at the table. place mats, napkins...the works. and no television in the background. the great benefits of having a family dinner together are no surprise. studies show that children who eat dinner regularly with their families are less likely to get involved with drugs and alcohol, get better grades, have less stress and eat better.
it was common practice in our home growing up, and i could always count on dinner being on the table at 6pm, sharp. it is something that i have really grown to appreciate in my mom - knowing that she took the time and effort to get us eating well, talking and spending quality time together.
i'm sure as our family gets larger and older, nights will become busier and family dinners will become few and far between. so why not get the habit started now, and make it stick the nights that we are able to make it happen?
tell me, do you sit down to dinner with your family, significant other, or even just yourself?
happy thursday. xo.
4 comments:
I feel like I just wrote that post. We were doing the same thing until a few months ago when we decided that even though they probably won't remember it, it's about getting good habits in place for when they do. It's hard sometimes when all I want to do is plop on the couch and relax, but I know it will be worth it. We're not great at it but we're getting much better. I think it would be easier if we actually had a table to eat at instead of a counter top....but this will work for now. Good luck!
I'm right there with you Ellie - we don't have much of a kitchen table either, but I think it's the act of doing it that counts! xo.
we (all 3 of us) sit down for dinner together unless one of us is eating quickly to run out the door for a meeting (that's usually only once or twice a week these days). i grew up with that practice too, so i guess it just kinda stuck!
except fridays - those are my days off from cooking and we go out. :)
Laura...I love this post. This has always been a HUGE goal of mine from the moment we became parents. Life is so crazy and we're so busy, that to me eating dinner together at the table is SOOOO IMPORTANT. In fact when my husband works nights...thats the first thing I think about...crap no family dinner. It's such a great time to talk about everyones lives! My other favorite thing. Giving my kids something to help cook (for right now..just on Sundays). I create the menu..they choose what to help with, prepare and then they present it. Because they have ownership...they eat it really good too. And it's great one on one time!
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