Gather around the dinner table

This beauty is 29 years old. Rick and I got it brand new after Grandma F. passed away and we got several hundred dollars from her estate. We went right out and bought this new table and chairs. Beginning in 1982 it became the place for family dinners every night. Thousands and thousands of meals have been served on this table. Lots and lots of guests have eaten there as well. At least seven little kids learned to feed themselves at this table.
Around 2005 we passed the table on to our daughter and got a bigger one in our kitchen. Her family has used it over those years continuing the tradition of having a family dinner hour and serving a good meal. It has been beaten up, washed and rewashed and used and abused as it should have been. It now has moved on to serve another family (although Dave and Courtney kept one chair for their computer desk, so a piece of it lives on in our family.)
But more importantly, it's been the center of attention, quite possibly the most important piece of furniture in the family. This is the scene of many family gatherings, were lively discussion has taken place. It's been the place where the whole family came together at least once a day, sometimes more, to talk, to share, to tease, to debate, to read scripture, laugh, get caught up and just have good ole family interaction.
The importance of the family dinner hour can't be overstated.
Research shows that:
"Major recent studies have shown the tangible benefits that a regular dinner hour with good conversation has on family bonding.

A 2004 study of 4,746 children, 11 to 18, published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine found that families who ate together frequently had a significantly lower risk of smoking, drinking and marijuana use, and a lower incidence of symptoms of depression and suicidal thoughts. They also got better grades.

A study of 12- to 17-year-olds by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found that the more often teens had dinner with their parents, the less likely they were to be with sexually active friends, and, for the girls, less likely to have boyfriends two years or more older. A University of Minnesota study found that children who dined frequently with their parents were less likely to have eating disorders.

It's not rocket science. It's not fancy parenting psychobabble from some self-professed guru.

It's just what I call basic, common-sense parenting. Make the family dinner hour a regular and consistent tradition in your house. It's impossible to screw it up: Just make a simple dinner and make sure parents and kids are there to share the meal and share some conversation."

HOW CAN WE BRING BACK THE FAMILY DINNER HOUR?

The best way to bring back the family dinner is to make it a part of your daily routine. Make dinner time the same time every evening and stick to it if possible. Tell every family member that dinner will be served at a specified time and all must be present.

Next, plan for each of the dinners in advance. Most of us don't realize how much time we waste looking for the right recipe, then running to the store several times a week to buy the necessary items. However, if you have a meal plan in place each week that includes a complete week of dinners, all the recipes, and a grocery shopping list, you will save a tremendous amount of time; time that is better spent with your family.

Post your menu on the refrigerator so family members will know what dinner will be. When they see that you have planned a family dinner, they will not only plan to be there, but also look forward to this wonderful tradition.