What Happened to Family Mealtimes?

In today's stressful and hectic world, leisurely mealtimes are rare. Most people grab something fast or combine food with another activity like driving, working, watching TV, or surfing the Internet. Often work and leisure schedules force families to eat at different times. But even if they could eat at the same time, some families still split up to different rooms and activities while eating their meal. What happened to a happy family gathering around the family table for a nice leisurely meal?

It probably started around the time TV dinners were invented. That was also the time, where families began to gather in front of the TV to watch a good show while consuming their meal. Over time, the food became less important and the togetherness part as a family during mealtime fell aside. If you concentrate on the TV show, your conversation will be minimal. Unfortunately, in the long run, this type of behavior will lead to isolation. Even though there is officially a 'family', everybody seems to be doing their own thing. There are no real bonds other than on paper through marriage, birth, or adoption.

Therefore, having a meal together at the dinner table without any other distractions is an important part of family dynamic and family bonding. Without outside distractions of a TV or radio show, a newspaper or computer, or something of the like, the family is left to entertain itself. When everybody sits at the same table, the family is forced to deal with each other. Even better, throughout the conversation around the dinner table, a family can get to know each other and help each other. The bonds formed here will last a lifetime.

For parents, family mealtime is a good gauge to find out what is going on in their children's life, and about their hopes and dreams. It is also a good time to dish out advice and anecdotal stories of their own life experiences. In the course of an easy and happy conversation, a child might feel safe enough to open up about an issue that is bothering him or her. Problems can be settled before they get blown out of proportion.

Similarly, during family mealtime, children may be able to learn a lot from and about their parents and family history. The bonding among family member, which inevitably does take place during a family meal, does give a child the feeling of belonging. A child will know that he or she can always count on the family to be there for him or her, no matter what. In the long run, this will result in higher self-confidence and a feeling of self-worth.

For the sake of their children, families should make an effort to have meals together in a leisurely fashion, and not just for the holidays. It might even lead to more activities they will do together as a family.