This month’s Ask Coach Kathy discusses why busy families benefit from having dinner together.
I remember as a child, and until I left for college, that my parents and my brother always had dinner together, usually around 6:00. My daughter recently told me that her two kids and she and her husband rarely sit down for dinner together because they are taking one or the other of their children to a sports activity or lesson of some kind. Am I being overly concerned that their family doesn’t have dinner together?
On the one hand, worrying about something you have no control of will not change the situation. On the other hand, ideally, I believe it is best for a family to share dinner at least 4-5 nights a week. Mealtime is a wonderful anchor for a family. It slows life down in order for family members to sit together and eat nourishing food.
Dinner together also gives a family the chance to talk about topics they might not other wise have the chance to discuss. It is important to refrain from contentious subjects while eating dinner. Tense conversations affect the ability to digest food properly and can become a de-motivator for family to want to gather over dinner.
Do you have sensitive issues in your relationships that you need help with? Ask Coach Kathy about it. Submit your question below.
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