How Important Are Family Dinners?

""Life is chaos," she said. "Mornings in my house are unimaginable. I have to get the kids up and fed, more or less, and out to where the school bus picks them up. At the same time I'm getting myself ready so that I can leave for work once I know they're on the bus. I don't leave before, because if the bus doesn't come, which happens more frequently than it should, I have to take them to school.""

""'I'm fortunate,' she continued. 'Their dad lives down the street, and we have a good working arrangement for co- parenting, so that whether they're with me or with him, they catch the same bus and have the same daily routine.'""

""'He's very laid-back about everything. Well, he does make sure they get homework done, but his idea of a good dinner is take-out in front of the TV. Sometimes they have vegetables, but usually it's either pizza or something fried, with french fries.'""

Research shows regular family meals contribute to mental and physical health. A positive atmosphere is crucial to successful family meals. Storytelling during meals can encourage children to read more. Melanie is a single mother with a primary-school child and a middle-school child and a demanding job. Mornings are chaotic as she readies the children and herself and waits to see that the school bus arrives. Co-parenting with the children's father provides a shared routine because he lives nearby and the children catch the same bus whether with her or him. The father prefers laid-back, takeout dinners while Melanie prioritizes healthier, vegetable-based meals and often brings prepared dinners to his home.

Read at Psychology Today