Studies show there are many benefits for families and children who eat at least one meal a day together, most days of the week. And it seems that many area families are trying to do the same. Most of those who responded had young children and were mothers who did not work outside the home. However, one mother said she had five children, four of them teenagers, and they sit down together every night for supper.
Some of these mothers have to work around their husband's work hours or kids' school activities to eat a meal together. One mother said she sat down with her boys every night. Even if she wasn't eating North Face Cheap with them, she sat with them as they ate so she could "chat with them." Some families may eat together, but may not necessarily sit down at the dining room table to do so. They may eat out or during a school function, but eat together. "We don't always use the dining room table, but we always eat together," Julia Mink of Sweetwater said.
Stephany Ramos of Clyde pointed out that her family doesn't eat at the table, but eats together, usually with the television on.
Steve Belcher of Abilene said he didn't think families ate together as often as they should.
"It's just too easy to go to Whataburger and eat in front http://www.fashionjacket.net/ of the TV," he said. "People think they are too busy nowadays also."
Jack Hardcastle, president of the National Association of Family Ministries and family minister at Hillcrest Church of Christ in Abilene, said the dinner table has become somewhat of a catchall for backpacks and brief cases instead of being used for its original intention a place for family gatherings.
"One of the reasons it is so important is it gives the family a chance to stop, catch up, and share with each other what is going on in their lives," he said. "The invention of the 'TV tray' has taken that aspect away, and now our interests are more related to what's on the tube that what's going on in our lives."
To deal with the busyness, Stephanie Kirbo of Brownwood said she and her family get together with their extended family every Sunday after church for a big meal.
"We unfortunately don't during the week very often. Our schedules are too crazy," she said.
Shellie Glass of Sweetwater said she does the same thing with her children, grandchildren and other extended family.
"With the hustle and bustle of today's living, we find our loved ones scattered here, there and everywhere," she said. "So on Sunday afternoons I cook 'lupper' (lunch/supper) for our entire family in Sweetwater and the surrounding area."
Glass said the Sunday meal may include an abundance of family and friends while other times there are only "a handful of us." "Either way we gather to thank God for the blessings he bestows upon us daily and to bask in the pleasure of true and unconditional love," she said.
Cheree Tate of Snyder said she never realized eating together regularly wasn't the norm until she had some other children over who asked, "Do you guys always eat around the table?"
Experts agree that there are many reasons eating meals together on a regular basis should be the norm. According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, studies have shown that families who eat together at home eat healthier and have kids that are less likely to become overweight or obese.
In addition, children are more likely to avoid smoking, drinking alcohol and using illicit drugs when their families eat together.
Families who eat together also produce children who make better grades in school. These families also usually better relate to one another because the meal time gives them a chance to talk more.
"Regular, transparent communication can only take place when families stop, tune out electronics, and spend time together," noted Hardcastle. "And dinnertime is the perfect place to do this," he said.
A study performed by the University of Illinois, UrbanaChampaign showed that families who eat at least three meals together per week had children who were less likely to develop eating disorders. If your family isn't eating together, WebMD suggests not forcing this family togetherness right away but to ease into it and have reasonable expectations. Set a reachable goal of eating together maybe twice a week, and build from there.
It's also important to keep in mind that parents don't have to prepare a gourmet meal every night. Just try to serve the basics, including family favorites, and be sure to include fruits and vegetables. Eating takeout is OK too, sometimes. Although it costs you more money and is usually less healthy, at least you're eating together.
I can remember a story that ran in the midseventies. It stated that by the year 2000 people would be eating away from the home at least 35% of the time. At the time we all said no way. Everyone in upstsate NY at the time ate at home most of the time. Eating out was a treat. In fact, at dinner time, when I was a kid, you could smell almost every meal being cooked on our block. Wonderful. 2011? Whoever wrote that story probably thought they were pushing that number. Now, almost everybody eats out once or twice a day, and sometimes don't eat at home at all.