Eating dinner together as a family can establish traditions and memories that will last a lifetime. Since I am at work all day, eating dinner together with my family has always been extremely important to me. My family might only be sitting at the kitchen table for 20 minutes together, but those 20 minutes are probably the most precious 20 minutes of my day. I like to think of eating dinner together as a unifying experience for the whole family. Conversations during dinner provide opportunities for the entire family to bond, plan, reflect, connect, and learn from each other. It’s a chance for my family to share information and news about their day. This is also a good time for me to pay extra attention to my children and see for myself that they are okay. Where else are my children going to learn table manners and social skills, if we don’t eat 
together as a family?
Eating dinner together as a family gives my children a sense of belonging. I also know it gives me some peace of mind that they have had at least one healthy meal that day! Who knows what they eat when they are away from home?
For more information about starting a tradition of family dinners or add new ideas to your meal time, check here: http://thefamilydinnerproject.org/getting-started/.
For fun conversation starters, check here: http://thefamilydinnerproject.org/conversation-2/conversation-starters/ .
Susan