Family Dinners Benefit children long after the meal is over

Last month, millions of Americans spent the holidays gathered around the table, but are the holidays the only time that you eat dinner together as a family? The answer may determine your child's academic success; whether they try drugs and even the likelihood they become an alcoholic later in life.

Eating dinner at the table as a family can benefit your kids long after the meal is over according to new a new study.

"What it means is their having some quality interaction with their family-that's what's supposed to happen-you're supposed to have time to get approval, identification, role modeling and also family bonding," says Gary Malone, M.D., chief of psychiatry on the medical staff at Baylor All Saints Medical Center at Fort Worth.

Researchers recently discovered that teens that had five or more family dinners per week were less likely to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol or try marijuana and they were more likely to get good grades, have friends their parents approve of, and confide in their mom or dad about a serious problem.

"So much of what goes into an adolescent's decision making is 'How will I feel about me as a person?' 'Will I feel guilty?' 'What would my parent think?' 'How would I fit in at home?' 'What would my peers think?' It reinforces the family is still an important part of their lives," says Dr. Malone.

And researchers also say that it doesn't matter what is talked about at the table, just that there's some interaction.

"You just sit down and talk about your life. You talk about what you did today, ask them what they did, who they're hanging out with, how they spend their time-show interest in them as a person," says Dr. Malone. "What you want to do is influence their psychological development and particularly the part of their mind that uses judgment."

The study also found that frequent family dinners are also linked to fewer weight problems in kids. Younger children who usually ate dinner with their families were less likely to be overweight and they were more likely to develop healthy eating habits in adulthood.

Researchers also discovered that when polled, a majority of teens actually expressed a desire for more family dinners. So even though they may not act like it, many kids do enjoy their parents' undivided attention.

Baylor Medical Center at Garland
http://www.BaylorHealth.com