The Importance of Family Dinners
Written by Amanda Caputo, MSW intern (January 2020 - July 2020)
What do Italian, French, and most European cultures have in common? They celebrate meal times together! These cultures, among many others, celebrate meal times so much in fact, it is not uncommon for their days to be scheduled around their lunch and dinner plans. That tradition has widely been lost on Americans and how we structure our days. Research has found that approximately sixty years ago the average dinner time in America was about ninety minutes. Today, the average dinner time for an American family is under twelve minutes.
Studies have shown there are numerous benefits to eating dinner together as a family. A few physical benefits are lower rates of obesity and teen pregnancy. In addition to the physical benefits of having family dinner there are a number of mental benefits this habit can have on participants aw well. A few mental benefits include increased self-esteem and resilience, decreased risked of depression and developing an eating disorder, and a decreased risk of substance abuse.
It almost sounds too good to be true, that a seemingly simple thing like eating dinner with your family could have such large impacts on your child’s physical and mental health. Family dinners provide a daily, natural opportunity to increase communication. Increasing communication has been shown to make children feel more comfortable, thus making them more willing to talk about potentially difficult subjects. Comfort-ability in communication also aids in building trust between family members. Additionally, if families are gathering daily, parents have more opportunity to notice if there is a shift in their child’s affect and address is before it escalates. This is a great opportunity for parents to model good communication and work to involve everyone at the table in the conversation.
At Pregnancy and Adoption Support, we encourage families to take steps in strengthening their families and maintaining open and healthy communication with their children. If you could make small changes in your daily routine to not only benefit your child but also build a stronger and more trusting family, would you? Start tonight, by having dinner with your family and enjoy the positive changes to come.
Sources
“Benefits of Family Dinners.” The Family Dinner Project, thefamilydinnerproject.org/about-us/benefits-of-family-dinners/.
Skeer, Margie. “Family Dinner and Their Impact on Teen Substance Use – Insights from Family Engagement Expert Margie Skeer.” Center on Addiction, 6 Dec. 2016, https://www.centeronaddiction.org/the-buzz-blog/family-dinners-and-their-impact-teen-substance-use-–-insights-family-engagement-expert
To learn more:
· FAQ about Eating Dinner Together
· The Science of Eating Together
· 9 Scientific Reasons to Eat Dinner Together
· ACPEDS: Benefits of Family Table