Shared family mealtimes are of high value to both children and parents. Such meals times create a platform through which a family shares a lot and educate each other regarding particular matters. Suppertime is an important family time because each member is likely to be present at home. That is; parents are back from work while students are back from their schools. Adolescents need much grounding of their characters hence family meal times provide the perfect avenue of instilling ethics into their behaviors. Nothing else brings a family together more than family mealtimes. Hence, much use should be made of them.
A family mealtime presents a chance for parents to take their children through their cultures. By so doing, they help them become socialized members of that culture. Research has shown that such opportunities help children develop their literacy since much communication takes place. A proper environment is possible where youths or adolescents receive socio-emotional development. Healthy eating habits for adolescents who participate in family mealtimes are better than those who do not participate; it is practical in real life. Parents do great coaching of their children during these moments. If one parent has noted a bad behavior among their children, they usually model it during family times. It then follows that much family sharing takes place during family times. Although such mealtimes have substantially declined, they are of high value and there is need to restore them.
References
Beals, D. E. (1997). Sources of Support for Learning Words in Conversation: Evidence from Mealtimes. Journal of Child Language, 24, 673–694.
Boutelle, K. N., Birnbaum, A. S., Lytle, L. A., Murray, D. M., & Story, M. (2001). Perceptions Of Family Mealtime Environment And Adolescent Mealtime Behavior: Do Adults And Adolescents Agree? Journal of Nutrition Education, 33(3), 128–133
Child Trends. (2005). Family Meals. Child Trend Data Bank. Retrieved from www.childtrendsdatabank.org
France, A., Bendelow, G., & Williams, S. (2000). Researching the health beliefs of children and young people: A ‘risky’ business. In A. Lewis & G. Lindsay (Eds.), Researching children’s perspectives (pp. 150–162). Buckingham: Open University Press
Videon, T. M., & Manning, C. K. (2003). Influences on Adolescent Eating Patterns: The Importance of Family Meals. Journal of Adolescent Health, 32, 365–373.
