8 Good Reasons to Make Time for Family Dinner
There is no doubt that American families are busy. For many of us, once the alarm goes off in the morning we hit the ground running. Between school, work, and activities we barely have time to eat, let alone sit down to a meal together. However, researchers are finding significant drawbacks as a result of this lost tradition. Scientists at National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) are reporting many good reasons to make time for family dinner. Once you see the many reported benefits, you will understand that making an effort really does matter.
1. Keeps Kids Safe
Children in families that eat dinner together, up to five times a week, tend to stay out of trouble. Family dinners drastically reduced instances of adolescents substance dependencies, and issues with eating disorders. In a world where these issues are becoming more prevalent, family dinners help to prevent these through family discourse and discussion.
2. Improves Grades
It improves your kids’ grades too! Seriously, children who have frequently family dinners tend to perform better academically than their peers who frequently eat alone or away from home.
3. Improves Sports Performance
Family dinner doesn’t just stop at school and mentality, it also helps in sports performance too. For all the reasons it helps kids stay grounded and families that eat dinner commonly have more nutritious foods at their tables. This helps properly fuel kids and teens for the demands of sports.
4. Encourages Healthy Eating
Healthy eating is a life skill you can really only learn at home. When families eat dinner together, they are doing more than eating. It instills values and traditions that children tend to carry on as adults. Kids learn from example, and healthy eating at a young age helps them continue those habits into adulthood.
5. Breaks Finicky Eating
Every parent may have experienced a time when their kids only seem to eat one thing, and nothing else, no matter how hard you try. Family dinner time is the perfect place to introduce new tastes and allows you the opportunity to keep offering foods. Don’t give up! When kids see everyone eating, they are more likely to try something different. One day your little one’s favorite could be brussel sprouts or broccoli!
6. Improves Social Skills
Parents and caregivers can easily use the dinnertime as a platform for teaching basic manners. As children grow, it is a perfect place for engaging in conversation. These skills are invaluable. It shows them ways to not only eat in public, put help prepare them for more real world situations, like business dinners.
7. Saves Money
Eating out every night is not feasible for every household, therefore cooking can save you money. It also isn’t realistic to think you won’t have those days you are too busy to cook. Instead of forgoing family meal time, we offer delicious family meal deals at affordable prices that you can pick up on the way home from work.
8. Stress Reliever
Okay, so cooking and coming up with dinner meals every night isn’t always easy but studies have shown family dinners can be a stress reliever. Consider switching cooking duties with older children, or ordering our family meal deals to help lighten the load. At the end of the day, don’t worry about an elaborate meal, it is the company that makes dinnertime great!
So tonight, why not ditch the drive-thru? Skip eating in the car. Short on time? Call Chad’s and order one of our Family Meals. We offer delicious foods, with a variety to satisfy whatever you are craving! Make time for family dinner. The supper table can be the perfect place where kids learn how to conduct conversations, observe good manners, serve others, solve conflicts and improve their palate.
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