4 Reasons You Should Eat Dinner As a Family

In this modern age and with a family with multiple schedules and families that aren’t necessarily in the same time frame because of conflicting activities,  All of this hustle and bustle in a family’s life can make taking the time to sit down and enjoy good old fashioned family meals together a challenge.

When it comes to sitting down with your family and eating a meal like in the old days, studies show that they were onto something.  There are a variety of benefits to this old tradition.  Here are some of the biggest reasons why it’s best.

You Know What Is Going On In Your Kids Lives

When you sit down and engage in a conversation with your kids and take the time to ask them how their lives are going at school and with their friends, you are more likely to be in tune with any warning signs of emotional insecurity or worse, using drugs.

When you take the time to show that you genuinely care about their day to day lives you are showing them that they have a support system and people who care and love them.  Children and teens tend to act out the most when they feel like no one cares, so they start to test their boundaries.  

Better Nutrition

Home-cooked meals tend to have better wholesome ingredients and things that aren’t instant, come from a drive through, or will make us feel like we just ate cardboard.  When you eat things that are on the go or require being microwaved, it isn’t usually the best amount of nutrients going into your body.

Try to take turns deciding on whose turn it is to choose the menu for that night.  This way it can become a fun and engaging activity creating the meals together as a team.  It makes it all the more fun to get excited when it is “your turn” to choose the meal.

Kids Learn Proper Table Etiquette

Some adults find themselves completely clueless as to how to behave at a nice sit-down dinner, not knowing which fork or knife is for what, or talking with their mouths full.

This is usually a result of never having the proper education during family meal times. Your kids will be much better prepared for the future by learning civilized eating habits.  Whether for their personal lives or professional.

More Economical

Eating out all of the time or even getting food to go starts to add up over time.  It is much more economical to buy your food from the grocery store and prepare it.  

The same meal that would cost you $15 in a restaurant may cost you as little as $3 at home.  When you’re feeding a family, that goes a long way!