Reviving the Family Meal

Family meals provide parents with the opportunity to connect with their children- to show and express concern for them, hear their perspective and ideas and even share funny experiences and light-hearted conversation after a long day at work or school. This can help form stronger bonds, between parents and children and promote family unity.

Furthermore, by planning a regular meals at home for the family, you can ensure your children will be eating a well balanced diet. Kids left to themselves to find something to eat are likely to choose a diet of toaster pastries, potato chips and frozen pizza.

Here are some suggestions for restoring this endangered tradition and making mealtime a positive family experience.

1. Set your priorities. If you and your family rarely have meals together, try to cut out some of your kids extra curricular activities. Strong family relationship is more important that chairing that fundraiser or having your child play on another team.

2. Decide how many nights you'll eat together and do it. Aim for at least 3-4 family meals per week. To make family meals a reality schedule them on the calendar. If breakfast is easier to plan than dinner meal, make a commitment to gather in the morning several times week. Figure out when most family members are available for a meal and adjust your schedule accordingly.

3. Get everyone involved in the meal preparations. Make mealtime as a family project-from preparation through cleaning-rather than expect mom to do it all (specially if she's been at work all day). We started this one with my little girl. Everytime we have meals at home, she is the one who set ups the table. Either me or her dad will hand her the utensils so she can put it on the table. It also teaches her how to do help out at an early age.

4. Be creative. Try to come up with unique menus now and then-just to make mealtime more fun. Backyard cookouts. TV trays on the porch and picnics in the park are all enjoyable meal alternatives for the summer months.

5. Eliminate distractions. Turn off the television and radio during dinner and let the answering machine pick up phone calls. If there is a favorite tv show that is coming on during dinner, record it to watch later. The goal is for family member to focus their attention on each family member.

6. Keep conversation pleasant. Be ready with some good conversation starters. Ask your children how their day went at school, get their thoughts about any interesting news stories you heard about today, talk about the family's plan over the weekend, or elicit their ideas for family projects.

The family meal is not the time for discipline, power struggles, lectures, arguments, nagging, criticism or sulking. Try to keep table conversation happy, positive and upbeat.

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