The simple act of gathering your family around the table to eat may make more of a difference than you ever suspected.
Studies have proven that it can impact almost every area of children's lives. Check out the results family dinners can have below, then learn how you can start making a difference in your family's life right now by joining the 4x4 Family Dinner Challenge.
1. Clean Living and Mental Health
Kids who eat dinner with their families are prone to cleaner living. A study done in 2009 by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University showed that kids who did not eat dinner with their families were twice as likely to use tobacco, marijuana or alcohol. Further studies have shown that teens who eat with their families have lower rates of teen pregnancy and depression.
2. Better Knowledge and Grades
Conversation around the dinner table results in higher grade-point-averages and self esteem. Families who have meals together encourage higher vocabularies in children through telling stories about their days.
3. Family Bonding That Lasts
The bond in families who eat together is much stronger, creating an identity for the family as a unit and a team. It helps family members to stay updated on each other’s lives--and they are more likely to stay in touch as they age.
4. Better Health
For health reasons, it’s wise to get everyone to sit down to a meal together. Family dinners help lower obesity rates and eating disorders in kids and teens. When meals are being prepared with healthier foods and being served regularly, there is less room for bad eating habits to form.
To reap some of the benefits yourself, try to get your family together for a meal at least four times a week. Any meal will do, whether breakfast, lunch or dinner--the key is having some relaxed time to enjoy good food and great company with your eternal family.
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