News Herald – Juliann Talkington
With all the stress of everyday life, parenting often seems like an overwhelming task. As parents, we want to do what is best for our kids, but there never seems to be enough hours in the day to do everything.
According to the latest research, there may be a simple solution – eat dinner together as a family. Kids who do this one thing perform better in school, eat a healthier diet, have better social skills and communicate more effectively with their parents than children who don’t.
Unbelievable? Here’s the data. According to a Louis Harris and Associates survey of 2000 high school seniors, students who regularly eat dinner with their families four or more times a week have better test scores than those who eat with their parents three or fewer times a week.
In addition, Dr. Diane Beals, Washington University researcher, and Dr. Patton Tarbors, Harvard University researcher, found that parents can enhance their children’s vocabulary by the way they talk to them at meals. Specifically they discovered that 3- and 4-year-olds whose family members expose them to “rare” words during mealtimes score higher on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test than those who do not receive the same level of exposure.
Also, Karen Cullen and Tom Baranowski, Ph. D. pediatric physicians at Baylor University, found that students in grades 4 to 6 who ate dinners with their families consumed more vegetables, more fruit and juice, and less soda. When children ate with their families, they also used more low fat practices.
As part of one of her shows, Oprah Winfrey conducted a “Family Dinner Experiment”. Families ate dinner together every night for a month, staying at the table for a half-hour each time. At the end of the month, the families were so pleased with the communication they planned to continue eating together.
However, there is one big challenge. After a long day at work, figuring out what to cook, shopping for the necessary ingredients and then spending 30 or 40 minutes preparing the meal is often too much.
Fortunately, there are ways parents can overcome this challenge. Some families prepare meals on the weekends and reheat them during the week. Others visit 15-minute recipe websites. And some frequent businesses that prepare meals for a reasonable fee.
The solution will be different for every family. Just remember eating together gives your child an advantage. Don’t miss out!