The research shows that kids that eat dinner with their families receive a whole lot of benefits.  So make the effort it takes with today's busy lifestyles to eat family dinners together as often as possible.

And while you're sitting at the dinner table, there's bound to be more than eating going on.  This is prime time for family conversations, catching up with each other's lives and finding out what's on your loved one's minds. 

But, what if your attempts at engaging your kids in conversation all end with an "I dunno", "Uh-huh" or "Uh-uh"?  Simply swing into action with an arsenal of ways to get them talking.

At our house, we use what my husband has dubbed "High Point/Low Point".  Going around the dinner table, each person gets a chance to share what the "high point" of their day was and in turn, what the "low point" of their day was.  We have found out some amazing information about our kids in this way, and I think they could say the same of us.

We have used this dinner round-robin for years, and our kids never tire of it.  Now ages 15, 12 and 9, they still gladly participate, and on nights when my husband or I have not initiated it, they have been sure to do so.