Eating together as a family is important

Nowadays, dining tables serve more of a decorative than functional purpose in family homes. I remember how my mum always made a fuss about us eating together at the dining table when I was much younger. Even if all you were having was bread and tea, you had to sit at the dining table and do it. My mum left the house really early and came back very late on weekdays, but every meal shared together on weekends was done at the dining table. Eating together as a family was important to a lot of families back then.

Today, family members hardly eat at the same time and, whether they do or not, food is usually eaten in front of a TV or on the bed with the laptop. It’s a little bit sad to me because eating together as a family actually has a lot of benefits for children and adults.

Why eating together as a family is important

It builds relationships
Some families have really busy schedules and can only manage to eat together once a day. This time spent eating together as a family is great for building relational value. You can talk about the day you’ve had, plans for the next day, projects you’re working on, and other things. Instead of just grabbing a plate and leaving, you’re sharing in each others’ experiences and bonding.

It’s cheaper
When you eat out more than you cook at home, it definitely takes a toll on your wallet. Fast food, and special cuisine restaurants are getting costlier and costlier every other day. It’s usually better to buy the ingredients, and cook a meal at home so everyone has the same thing to eat. Food you cook at home can also be stored and rejeated to be eaten another day.

It Prevents numerous health issues
Eating together as a family allows us monitor what we’re eating. You can control portions, and make sure everyone is eating healthy. When people are left to eat by themselves, we can’t always see when they develop eating disorders because we aren’t there to watch them. We also can’t tell when they are eating more than necessary, and this can lead to obesity.

It relieves stress
When we’re stressed, the best way to relax is sometimes to talk about our problems with people who care. Who cares more than our family? Sitting down at the table together to eat and talk will help relieve you of your worries. You may even get a solution to your problem by talking it out. Even if you don’t you’ll definitely get cheered up.

Eating together as a family is also important because it helps us appreciate food more. The rise of restaurants and fast food chains has made us believe food is very readily available. Sitting down to a home-cooked meal will build appreciation for good food. We’re also teaching children good table manners, and how to become members of society and cuture.

It ay not beeasy to start eating together now that everyone is used to eating on their own with only their favorite show or a movie for company, but it’s a tradition worth mbibing in our kids so they can carry it on and pass it on to their kids as well.