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By Pam
McAuley, Co-owner of Now We’re Cookin’
In recent
years, dinnertime distractions have been multiplying with the
rapid advances in technology and increasingly active family
schedules.
"What if I told you that there was a magic bullet -- something
that would improve the quality of your daily life, your children's
chances of success in the world, your family's health, our values
as a society? Something that is inexpensive, simple to produce and
within the reach of pretty much anyone?"
Miriam Weinstein begins her book The Surprising Power of Family
Meals (Steer Forth Press, 2005) with those two questions and then
proposes that the "magic bullet" missed by so many families is as
simple as a shared meal.
Getting families “back to the dinner table” is increasingly
becoming one of the most popular research topics among leading
universities and corporations alike. A recent online survey of
American families shows that one way to create more productive
family time is to decrease stress by eliminating the hectic pace
of the "Family Rush Hour," that time between getting home from
work and sitting down to dinner. Conducted by TNS-NFO, the survey
examined the customary evening meal-preparation time and uncovered
some findings that could help improve communications between
parents and children. Among the findings, it revealed that:
Nearly 8 out of 10 parents claim their dinnertime stress comes
from the actual meal itself. These parents shared their key
challenges:
A.
Deciding what to make (47 percent)
B. Preparing and cooking the meal (23 percent)
C. Worrying about having the right ingredients (8 percent)
So, despite the long work days, hectic commutes, ringing
telephones, blaring televisions, pumping portable MP3 players,
text-messaging cell phones, and busy after-school commitments,
family dinnertime is still as important as ever.
Here are a few suggestions to bring your family together at the
dinner table more often:
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Make
attendance mandatory
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Turn off
the television and let the voicemail catch those incoming phone
calls
-
Allow
your family to help plan the meal in advance
-
Prepare
your meals in advance and keep them in your freezer
-
Use
dinner time to allow each family member to share an important
part of their day
-
Keep a
vase of flowers on or near your dinner table
As for the
last suggestion to keep a vase of flowers at your dinner table . .
. this will help to remind you that your dinner table is not only
a place to be fed; but to be nurtured and loved – where
heartstrings are tied and relationships realigned.
Now We’re Cookin’ in Brandon is
located at 4377 Lynx Paw Trail, Valrico, Florida 33547. Our
phone number is (813) 684-3663. You can book your session on
line at www.CookinInBrandon.com We hope to see you there!
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