Bringing in the Family Dinner

President Ronald Reagan stated that, “All great change in America begins at the dinner table.”

Why is this?
 

I grew up in Anchorage, Alaska in a family that practiced the dinner hour religiously. I figure skated in the early hours of the morning and my mother had me at the rink by four in the morning. I had more passion than actual talent, but I was there working out before school. My brother skated sometimes until ten o’clock at night. We had dinner at eleven more than once, but we had dinner together. Sometimes dinner was bought, and we didn’t know how fortunate we were with our parents being able to pick up dinner at Clinkerdagger’s, the Sourdough Mining Company, Simon & Seaforts, not to forget faster food venues from McDonalds or Denny’s. Sometimes our mother made the dinner and it was for these dinners that I learned to cook several dishes, from basic pot roast to stuffed pork chops well enough to serve to company by the age of sixteen. At those dinners I remember my dad telling funny stories and making us laugh. When I was really little, he would sing Irish songs that we would all sing with him and we'd bang the table for emphasis when we yelled, "Boom! Boom!" with MacNamara's Band, or my two older sisters would sing a duet that left The Carpenters in the dust with their version of Mocking Bird.
 

What is the family dinner hour about? Ruben Navvarrette speaks fondly of the family dinner, “The dinner table is a child's first and most effective classroom. It is where children learn values and manners and social skills. It is where they learn to listen, to interact with others, and to not interrupt one another or speak with their mouths full.”
 

A study at Columbia University in 2009 showed a correlation between children who have family dinners at least five times a week and kids who do better academically and don’t try to smoke or take drugs.
 

What makes a family dinner good? Columbia’s study found that distractions were a chief cause for family dinners being ineffective. Parents need to make sure that the kids come to the table without Gameboys, cell phones and Blackberries, and this also goes for adults. Dinner time is about communication. Parents also need to choose their battles. Home economics teacher Sue S. in Arizona stated that, “It’s ok to talk about problems, but this shouldn’t be a session to yell at the kids. It’s time to talk.” This means that personal differences are set aside and everyone tries to enjoy each other.
 

Meals are a hassle for harried and hurried parents and if they find that it’s just easier for everyone to eat on the run, they might look into some of the cook-ahead meal planning services in their areas, or go to any of many menu websites to find out about make-ahead meals that they can do in their own kitchens. Try working around a schedule and not participating if it is going to interfere with your life. Make the family dinner hour your time to unwind and enjoy your family.

Parents, make a change in your children’s lives for the new year. If you don’t already have a dinner hour, choose one day a week and plan to sit down. Make up your mind to enjoy it, and increase it. It’s good for your children and it’ll help you keep up on their lives.