Family Meals

Do you eat together as a family?? If you do, you are in the MINORITY.

Family meals are 'a thing of the past' because we're too busy to sit down together

The family dinner has become a thing of the past in millions of homes.

Only a fifth of families sit down for a meal together at least once or twice a week, a survey has found.

Three-quarters of 1,000 families surveyed said they were so busy they hardly ever found the time to talk through their problems.

Psychologist Dr Pat Spungin, a parenting expert, said a family should aim to spend at least 20 minutes at the table to help foster meaningful conversations.

She said there were three phases to a meal, all equally important. In the first, communication is mostly practical as the cooking is finished and everyone sits down. Then comes settling in, where the family members exchange small talk.

The final phase is "sweet talk", which Dr Spungin says is crucial to building relationships.

Families need to spend significant time together to enjoy in-depth conversations and share their experiences, stories and worries.

Read the rest of the article here.