Parenting in today’s fast-paced society comes with many more challenges than there were just 20 or 30 years ago; we now have more demanding jobs, constant distractions with our phones and other technologies, and simply busier lives in general. Somewhere in this mix of things, parents have to educate their children, and disciplining them is a very important part of the process, but there are ways within the home that can help advance these not easy educator tasks, and just practice. a habit with your children can improve their behavior.
Eating as a family improves children’s behavior
Unfortunately, behavior problems in children are much more prevalent these days, but this simple habit can actually create more well-mannered children: sitting down at family meals.
They may be asking you, “What is the correlation here?” Well, a comprehensive report published by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) stated:
Eating as a family helps in adolescent development
“Eating family meals (where everyone is present), at least five times a week, dramatically reduces the likelihood that a teenager will smoke, drink and use drugs. The teens who have fewer than three family meals a week are 3.5 times more likely to abuse prescription and illegal drug use , 3 times more likely to use marijuana, 2.5 times more likely to smoke cigarettes, and 1, 5 times more likely to drink alcohol, and 20% more likely to get lower grades ”.
Apart from a decrease in the probability of substance abuse, children who eat meals with their families at least five times a week have a lower risk of developing obesity and other eating disorders, participating in criminal activities, having low self-esteem , performing poorly in school, getting pregnant at a young age, and giving in to peer pressure.
Dining together as a family – an opportunity not to be missed
Therefore, something as simple as family dinner can benefit young children’s behavior in great ways by providing them with a more enriching life, reinforcing their vision of themselves. Children need stability and a great deal of bonding time with their parents, and in today’s world, dinner time is often the only opportunity during the day to connect with family members and share experiences and thoughts about their life. day.
Many parents today work longer hours than ever, and children often have to prepare meals themselves, or simply eat food that is delivered. However, highly processed and fat-laden foods can lead to serious health problems, not to mention that nightly dinner shopping can take a lot of your money out of pocket.
Preparing food together: an activity that is worth gold
Think about it: at home, you can make a great family dinner using just a few, quality ingredients. When you cook meals at home, you can reap so many benefits that aren’t available when buying ready-made meals: you can prepare meals together, which provides time to build quality bonds; they have more time to relax and enjoy mealtime; you choose which ingredients to use in the food you prepare, resulting in a healthy meal; Most importantly, the family can spend time together as a whole, and the children feel more comforted and connected to their parents.
Tips for preparing family meals
So what does it take to have a successful family dinner? Not much, really; just your attention, willingness to be flexible with your schedule, and the ability to prepare healthy, nutritious meals for the family. These are some tips to prepare meals as a family and improve the bonds between all:
Make simple meals
Don’t worry about following complicated recipes and working non-stop with the stove for hours; you can make delicious and healthy meals with a few ingredients that the whole family can enjoy. Also, think about making extra food so you have leftovers for a couple of nights, making mealtime even simpler.
Do not bring technology to the table at meals
To truly connect and bond with your kids, turning off technology for mealtimes is vitally important. Checking email, Facebook, and other social media can really be distracting and disrupt the entire linking experience. Make it a point to leave your technology in another room and focus your attention on your children in that moment.
Email and Facebook messages will still be there when mealtime is over, but your kids are growing fast, and they need your attention and support, especially in their younger years which is where they shape their behavior.
Let everyone help create responsible behavior
Assign some simple chores to your kids so you don’t have to do all the prep and cleaning. This will teach them a responsible behavior, in addition, that will make the family feel like a team, creating a deeper bond.
At family meals have everyone join the conversation
In our fast-paced world, it sometimes seems almost unnatural to slow down and turn off the hustle and bustle in our brains. Letting others talk and just listen, however, is important to your children’s development, and it will create a much better conversation at the dinner table. Let everyone talk, and encourage your kids to share whatever they want about their day, or just life in general.
While no family is perfect, simply sitting together for a nice family dinner can make such a drastic difference in how each of you connects and communicates with the other.