Building the Family from the Dinner Table, The Power of Food

A family dinner is one of the most iconic images of American life. This is particularly true of the paintings or sketches of people like Norman Rockwell. A family at the dinner table is one of the ways that people can get to know what is going on with their families. Fun family dinners go back a long way. People should not underestimate the importance of sitting down together and talking to one another.

Because of this, people should acknowledge the importance of family dinners, particularly in the topsy turvey world that we currently live in. Families have developed a lot of habits that are not particularly healthy when it comes to family dinners. For example, sometimes they will all eat different foods at the dinner table which leads to unhealthy eating on the part of many people there.

But, even worse, sometimes they will all eat at different times. For people in this situation, they will not be having much family dinner conversation which is essential, not only for their parents but also for this children. Children who have family dinners with members of their family have better study habits and better sleeping habits. In other words, they have much better academic performance.

And it is for this reason that people should prioritize the importance of eating with their families. A lot of parents spend time away from home, sometimes traveling on business trips. That is what it is, but they should at least make a goal to eat together when they can. The family dinner is often the only time during the day when families actually see one another.

All of this is to say that, sentimental as they might be, those Norman Rockwell paintings actually do get at a fundamental truth. It is essential to provide a context where families and strengthen and flourish and that often begins at the dinner table.