Parents are faced with the challenges of balancing budgets, time, and domestic chores which makes family mealtime one more thing to do among a very long list. So considering the many demands on parents, what makes family mealtime so valuable?
First, it is important to know that parents are the primary nutrition role model for children under twelve years old, making family mealtime a worthwhile routine. Recent research has found that children who have the routine of family meal time are at lower risk for being obese. Essentially, family mealtime provides an opportunity for parents to model healthy food choices to their child. Quite simply, when parents are eating healthy foods children are being exposed to and encouraged to make those choices.
While the nutrition education and modeling that occur during mealtime are important there are other teachable moments stemming from family mealtime. According to their age and abilities children may help set the table, prepare the food, and clear the table. Mealtime for families with young children may focus on teaching how to properly use utensils and table manners. Young children can be easily distracted therefore, be sure to set your child up for success by turning off the television, putting down your digital devices, and removing toys from the table. Also, bear in mind that young children are refining their fine motor skills, so spills and accidents are to be expected. As a parent, be patient and focus on the mealtime behavior you want to foster in your child.
Family mealtime is just as important for families with school age children and teens. While mealtime will no longer focus on using utensils properly there are many positives stemming from mealtime. Recent research suggests that there are four cornerstones to promoting parent-child connectedness: having a climate of trust, communicating, having structure, and spending time together. Family mealtime is one opportunity for building a parent-child connection. Eating a meal together is a perfect way to develop conversation skills and touch base with one another. Start by committing to disconnect from digital devices while sharing a meal. This provides a distraction-free time to have meaningful conversation and spend time together. Remember that being a conversationalist takes practice! School-age children and teens often need open-ended questions to get the conversation going, so try using conversation starters.
It is so easy to get caught up in the busyness of the day and miss opportunities to spend time as a family. I hope you will commit to making mealtime part of your family routine!
