The family dinner is a staple of years gone by. These days, the only time you see a family sit together and break bread seems to be at Thanksgiving. This is a shame, because regular family dinners are incredibly important! It\u2019s a time to bond with your loved ones that can have a positive impact on your kids\u2019 lives. A study published in the journal Pediatrics found that kids who regularly partake in family meals are less likely to experience depression or engage in drug use. Furthermore, The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University determined that kids who eat family meals five to seven times a week bring home better report cards.<\/p>\n
Even when schedules are busy, you can make family dinners fit into your agenda with these tips.<\/p>\n
Dinner doesn\u2019t have to be at 6 p.m. on the dot. If Kamala has a karate tournament in the evening or Peter needs to stay late at school for art club, why not break out the healthy snacks and make dinner happen a little later or earlier? Plus, the meal you share as a family doesn\u2019t have to be at dinnertime. If there\u2019s time in the mornings, sit down for breakfast. If you have the opportunity on weekends or during a school break, grab lunch together.<\/p>\n
Mom or Dad shouldn\u2019t be expected to cook by themselves for every meal. This is family time, after all, so call in the kids! Make sure their tasks are age-appropriate \u2014 leave saut\u00e9ing vegetables to the high schooler and let your first-grader set out the cups instead. This is the perfect opportunity to teach kids valuable kitchen skills and to take some of the burden off your plate. Plus, if your kids are picky eaters, inviting them to be part of the cooking process can make them more inclined to try the finished product.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s okay if you\u2019re too busy on a Monday to cook dinner. There\u2019s always Tuesday. Or you can take a trip to your favorite family restaurant. Family meals should be fun, and that can\u2019t happen if you\u2019re stressed. Don\u2019t feel pressured to make each meal perfect or to prepare a three-course dinner every night. Chicken and rice can get the job done as long as you\u2019re all sitting around the table as a family.<\/p>\n
No matter how hectic your schedule may be, making family meals a priority is always worth the investment. Who\u2019s in the mood for meatloaf?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The family dinner is a staple of years gone by. These days, the only time you see a family sit together and break bread seems to be at Thanksgiving. This is a shame, because regular family dinners are incredibly important! It\u2019s a time to bond with your loved ones that can have a positive impact […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-newsletter"],"yoast_head":"\n