TABLE TIME. The game-changer for family life.

Linda McNeill - 25 Sep 19

The main purpose of a dining table is for eating. Obvious? Perhaps. But increasingly food is being eaten elsewhere.

Our meals at the table can be few and far between. Sitting our kids at the breakfast bar or on the sofa means we can keep doing ‘stuff’ while they are eating. Meals at the table can feel like hard work. We often feel like we have a greater success with them shovelling their food in, if they are watching a screen and paying less attention.

Tripp Trapp conducted a research project and their findings were pretty revealing … ‘almost one in four (22%) British families eat dinner on their laps in front of the TV every day of the week. Just half (51%) typically enjoy a family meal at the dinner table and one in ten (11%) parents admit to letting children under 14 eat alone in their rooms.’

So does this really matter? Is it just a sign that society is changing and the traditional way of eating at table has become outdated?

Does matter? Yes. For so many reasons.

What are we gaining by letting our kids eat in front of a screen or away from us?

A quiet life.

An opportunity to get a few more jobs done.

The possibility of more food being consumed.

But what are we losing?

The chance to know each other better.

The time to engage with eye contact and really listen. To communicate and connect.

The opportunity to role model good eating habits (scarily, mindlessly eating in front of a screen has been linked to childhood obesity. How many times do we polish off a bag of treats without even noticing while watching tv?).

The chance to learn social skills and hold a conversation.

The safety and security of sitting in a circle at a table provides.

A fantastic opportunity to sit and not multitask. We need to teach our kids that is it okay to stop.

So often as a parent we look for the short-term wins but neglect to notice the potential of the long-term benefits.

This is not about providing another thing to feel guilty about as a parent. Guilt features WAY to highly in parenting. This is not about making you feel bad, it is about making you EXCITED to do things differently when and where you can. It is about reaping the benefits this can bring you as a family.

You may prioritise eating round the table just once a week on a Saturday lunch time or it might be more often, whatever you can do. Small steps lead to the greatest changes. Table Time is important. There is no getting away from that.

Linda x

The Positve Family Academy.

Linda McNeill

Mum to 3. Wife to 1. Founder and creator of The Positive Family Academy. Inspiring families to reclaim quality family time and have a whole lot of fun in the process.

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