Education & Opportunity

My column for Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23, focused on the importance of family dinner. I chose this topic because I really think it can make a difference in today's society. I think of family dinner as a sort of "Vitamin C" for family relationships. Sure, your family will still have its trouble spots, but regular family dinner helps the family get healthy much more quickly.

One fact I didn't have space to include in the article: Family dinners become more of a challenge as kids get older. Although the majority of 12-year-olds eat with their families every night of the week, only 25 percent of 17-year-olds do so. At the same time, the potential issues, obstacles, and influences facing kids multiply during the later teen years. Just as we are doing it less, family dinner becomes more important than ever.

Some parents have suggested to me that they would love to eat dinner with their kids more often, but the kids just aren't interested. Recent research may dispute this assumption: One recent study found that among kids who ate three or fewer meals a week with their family, a majority of kids wished they did so more frequently.

Of course, in this era of late work hours, after-school activities, and fast food on every corner, cooking a healthy meal for the whole family each night may be easier said than done. If food preparation time is an issue, try nutritious take-out food or visit health-conscious restaurants in your area that are conducive to group conversation. If evenings just don’t work on certain nights, try gathering the family for a shared breakfast or lunch.

Bon appetit!