AUTHOR LINDSAY DETWILER
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Books
  • About
  • Contact
  • READ FREE!
  • The Dark Side
Contemporary Romance Author

The Importance of Family and Time Around the Table

6/23/2018

0 Comments

 
Family Dinner
Photo by Chris Lawton on Unsplash
If you are looking for a way to feel more connected and spend more time with your family, set aside some quality time everyday to enjoy a meal together. Studies show that it is extremely beneficial for children and parents to eat together, and increases mental and physical health, and is linked to positive behavior. ​

Why Is Eating Together Important?

Researchers have found that eating together inspires healthier emotions and habits. Connect with your kids around the table by asking about their day and starting a conversation about healthy eating habits. This encourages engagement and builds strong conversation skills through  natural socialization practice, and has been shown to increase a child’s vocabulary. Coming together for meals is especially helpful to children with attention deficits and learning disabilities, giving them a safe and comfortable environment to practice their social skills. Family meal time can also be a moment away from school/work stress, social media, and other distractions, so power off electronic devices, and use the time to disconnect.

As we all know, adolescence can be a challenging season of life to navigate, and it’s easy for children and teens to hold onto their everyday stresses. Having a specific time devoted to talking over the day gives children and young adults a platform to express themselves. According to a survey, American teens said they were most likely to talk with their parents during dinnertime, as opposed to any other time during the day. Family meal time gives parents and children of all ages the opportunity to have a few moments in the day to converse and have an open dialogue with each other. This alone has been linked to lower rates of depression and suicidal thoughts, as well as putting young adults at a lower risk of abusing alcohol and other harmful substances.

​

Getting Your Family To the Table

Life moves at a million miles an hour, and there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day for everyone's responsibilities and commitments. However when you make eating dinner or breakfast as a family a routine, and the table a comfortable and welcoming place to gather, your entire family will make dining together a priority. An important aspect of family meal time is the atmosphere that you create within your dining space. When designing your dining area, you should have dining furniture that is warm and comfortable and bring in colors like browns and purples to invoke a calming, natural atmosphere. Fresh flowers and festive table mats are also great features to create a balanced space, perfect for energetic conversation. For more interior design inspiration, check out pinterest and instagram from companies like Arhaus who have detailed room designs on their pages. Family photos and decor pieces with affirmative mantras are also great to hang in your dining area help to set the intention for your family oriented and positive space.

Aside from creating a welcoming environment, as a parent, you’ll also want to be understanding and approachable when you engage in conversation with your children. If  conversations continually become hostile or turn into lecture sessions, your children won’t feel comfortable to have an open dialogue. The conversation doesn’t have to be completely centered around the kids and their experiences. Use it as an opportunity to share the challenges that arose during your day as well. Being open, and sharing details and successes as they relate to adult life will enhance trust, and encourage children and young adults to share details of their own day. Dinner table conversation starters like these are also great talking points that can help you connect with your child and allow them to get to know their siblings and parents on a deeper level as well.

​Guest article by Molly Kay


​
0 Comments

    Banners for Best Romance Book Blogs
    Author Lindsay Detwiler
    Picture
    *As an Amazon Affiliate, I get a small fee for any books purchased through the links below.
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Then Comes Love
    Who We Were Romantic Comedy
    Where Love Went
    Where Love Went Free Read Holiday
    To Say Goodbye
    Picture
    Remember When Lindsay Detwiler

    Archives

    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016

    Categories

    All
    Aging
    Am Reading
    Animal
    Animals
    Animal Testing
    Author
    Author Chat
    Authors
    Bark Box
    Beach
    Beauty
    Beauty Blog
    Beauty Box
    Beauty Review
    Body Image
    Book
    Book Blog
    Book Review
    Books
    Book Sale
    Bookworm
    Box
    Caregiving
    Cat
    Chick Books
    Chick Lit
    Childfree
    Childless
    Children
    Classics
    Clothes
    Contemporary Romance
    Contest
    Cook
    Cosmetics
    Creative
    Creative Writing
    Cruelty Free
    Dad
    Dating
    Divorce
    Dog
    Dogs
    Dream
    Dreams
    Empowerment
    Facebook Live
    Family
    Fashion
    Father's Day
    Fear
    Female Writers
    Fiction
    Free
    Free Book
    Free Reads
    Friendship
    Fulfillment
    Funny
    Gaming
    Giveaway
    Good Books
    Graduation
    Growing Up
    Hair
    Holocaust
    Inspire
    Keith Urban
    Kindness
    Life
    Literary
    Literature
    Live Show
    Love
    Lularoe
    Makeup
    Maplewood
    Marriage
    Mastiff
    Modern Love
    Mom
    Mood Boosters
    Mother
    Mothering
    Mother's Day
    Movie
    Movie Review
    Must Read
    Netflix
    New Author
    New Release
    Organization
    Parents
    Pets
    Phobia
    Pieces Of My Heart
    Poet
    Poetry
    Prize
    Prizes
    Reading
    Refresh
    Relationships
    Review
    Reviews
    Romance
    Romantic Comedy
    Sale
    Self Care
    September 11th
    Show
    Simple Living
    Simply Love
    Stitch Fix
    Story
    Style
    Summer
    Sweet
    Sweet Romance
    Tattoo
    Teacher
    Teaching
    Tech
    Teenagers
    Television
    Thankful
    Thirty
    Tidying
    Valentine's Day
    Vegan
    Wedding
    Win
    Winter Blahs
    Woman
    Women
    Women's Fiction
    Writer
    Writing
    Young Adult

    RSS Feed

Lindsay Detwiler

  About
Contact
Hot Tree Publishing

Disclosure: 
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

This site is also a part of the Intellinfluence Program, where we receive free products and payment for posting about certain products.

We are also a participant in the Stitch Fix Influencer program, in which we receive fees when you click on the Stitch Fix advertisement. I am also a part of the Jane.com Affiliate program through ShareASale and earn fees when you purchase using the affiliate links.



​**This website uses Google Analytics to improve user experiences. We also use Adsense to create revenue and Amazon Affiliates.

Privacy Policy
© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Books
  • About
  • Contact
  • READ FREE!
  • The Dark Side