I came across an interesting article this morning that points to an even more interesting web site. The focus of both is the family interactions around meal time.According to this article:
"Research shows that eating together, whether as a family or a group, offers many health and social benefits to both children and adults--including better nutrition, school performance and social adjustment. But the reality is, many families struggle to find the time to share meals."
Quite a claim; but it does seem that meal time, and the challenges it presents to today's modern family, isn't what it used to be. "Good old days" syndrome aside, it seems like a generation ago, family meal times were sacrosanct and full of tradition, expectations, social interaction, reinforced manner lessons, a chance to speak the diaries of our days.
Now, for better or worse, 'supper times' can often be rushed, disjointed affairs that cause stress and disorder, filled with distractions. Busy life styles, working parents, and just plain old bad habits can often lead to unfulfilling family time at the table.
To help families rectify some of this and as a promotion for good eating habits, the BC Dairy Foundation and the BC Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport have created a great website called BetterTogetherBC.ca. It presents solutions to many of the common challenges faced by today's busy families.
It would be interesting to hear what you think? Post your thoughts by clicking on the blue 'comments' below.
this was an interesting post. my family and I eat dinner together all the time. It is priority in our household. my children are allowed one activity at a time and it cnnot be during dinner hour. what i cook it is what everbody eats, i do not run a restuarant service. my children love a variety of foods because we have never offered something else if they did not want was being served. i feel parents these days forget that we are in charge, not our children. we need to slow down not be runnning around to 5 different activities in a week and spend some quality time with our families. children also need free time for play, these modern kids are forgetting the simple skill of playing. we need to slow down and spend some quality time with our families.
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