Eating Together

Eating

TOGETHER

Regular family mealtimes provide great benefits, agree most experts. They provide a time for families to reconnect, share daily events, and continue to deepen relationships. It wasn’t until I had children of my own that I began to understand the triumph my mother pulled off every evening. It’s all too easy to prize togetherness and still find it nearly impossible to get everyone to the dinner table at the same time. Small children tend to get hungry long before adults do and generally don’t care for nutritious `grown-up’ food. And those are just the problems that crop up before the kids get older and television and sports practice begin to take preference. Here are some simple ways to make family mealtimes a little easier:

Try to change priorities

The change has to begin with you, even if it means giving up a few things, such as watching your favourite television serial, postponing a phone call or office-related work. Make it a priority. The others will soon follow.

Eat at the table

At the table, family members have no choice but to face and focus on each other, and will soon grow to look forward to it.

Avoid distraction

Turn off the television and radio so that everyone can focus on conversation without distraction. Nutritionists are concerned that `TV-dinner’ kids might tune out their natural hunger cues.

Keep the mood positive

Your focus should be on pleasant family interactions. Mealtime is not the time to discuss family problems or discipline issues. Food is digested more easily in a relaxed atmosphere.

Make it fun

You could ask everyone to narrate a fun anecdote from their day. Be sure to let everyone get equal time and that children are listened to as attentively as grown-ups are.

Model good manners

Experts feel that children respond less to out commands than to their perceptions of our character and conduct. Further, children despise hypocrisy. If you rely on your own effectiveness as a model, and demonstrate co-operation, sharing and respect for others, you probably don’t need any other strategies.

Make mealtime last at least 20-30 minutes

Remember that kids often take more time to eat than adults do. Take your time through dinner and enjoy the extra few minutes sitting at the table before cleaning up.

Try new and interesting recipe ideas

They say we eat with our eyes first. This is true for all of us but especially children. Use colour, texture, and varying sizes and shapes for variety and added meal appeal.

Make mealtime an event

Try planning a special meal around a holiday, seasonal change, festival or a different cultural theme. Decorate the table in the appropriate colours, or play special music. Assign one task to each family member so that each person can learn to participate in meal planning.

Don’t withhold food as a punishment or use it as reward

This is an absolute no-no. Experts, agree that it gives an undesirable impression to children, which defeats the purpose of eating together.

Lay down the law

Set family rules about conversation. For instance, there will be no arguing or complaining about the food.

Include the tiny tots too

Even babies should be invited. If they’re not participating in the actual conversation; they’re listening, watching and learning all at the same time.

Something is better than nothing

Even if you are only able to eat together once or twice a week, there is no reason to sulk. Any happy interaction is good for a family. Don’t spoil the few times that you eat together by cribbing about how you don’t eat together enough. Make the most of what you have.