Kiddipedia
Parents are busier than they ever have been. Between managing a career, taking care of the basic needs of your kids and juggling all of the school activities, it can seem like there is little time to relax as a family.
At many homes, regular family dinners end up being one of the first casualties of a busy schedule. This is unfortunate because family dinners can help you raise healthy kids that grow up to be healthier adults. It’s a chance to teach your kids healthy eating habits and to bond as a family.
If you are planning to bring family dinners back to your home, you should do what you can to make sure they are an enjoyable experience for everyone. With the following tips, you can have nice family dinners that will benefit parents and children.
Plan Your Meals
Family meal planning is the first step toward ensuring a nice dinner you can all enjoy together. It can be difficult enough to get everyone together at the table at the same time, so you can’t wait until the last minute to figure out what you are going to eat. If you are rushing to find a meal and get it ready, it won’t be enjoyable for you, and it will make dinner harder to fit into the schedule.
Beyond planning the meal, try planning your schedule to fit family dinners. Look at your schedule and the schedule of others to see if anything can be moved around. If there are any chores or homework that need to be done, try to have your kids get it out of the way before dinner.
Eliminate Distractions
The point of a family dinner is to spend time together. If everyone is looking at a screen, you won’t be talking or spending time in a meaningful way. To keep everyone in the moment, set a no-device rule for the dinner table. Tell everyone they have to leave their phones and tablets behind until dinner is finished. This also includes turning off the television and, if it is possible, the adults should avoid answering their phones as well.
Accept the Reality of a Busy Life
Even with the best time management and schedule planning, family dinner might not be realistic every night of the week. You also have to consider the fact that life doesn’t always follow your plans. Try to do as many family dinners a week as possible, but don’t beat yourself up if you can’t do it seven nights a week.
It doesn’t even have to be dinner and it doesn’t have to be the entire family every time. If you can make time for lunch or breakfast as a family, that is great! If one of your older children is busy with a school activity or a job, they might not always be able to attend every family dinner. Just do your best to get as many of you together as you can, as many times a week as possible.
Keep it Light
Dinner should be a time for enjoying the company of your family. If you want to make sure that happens, you need to set some rules for dinnertime conversation and behavior. Make a rule that there is no arguing at the dinner table. Along with that, avoid negative conversations or topics that have a tendency to get emotional or contentious. If a tough topic does need to be addressed, do it with the people involved and at a time other than dinnertime.
