Family Meals

When Munchkin was younger, we used to eat in shifts at our house. When he was really young, I would feed Munchkin, make supper, and then one of us would eat while the other watched Munchkin, and then we'd switch. Or sometimes Hubby would feed Munchkin while I made supper and then we'd take turns eating. And we usually ate in front of the t.v.

I hated it. Growing up, my family always ate together. About the only meal we didn't all eat together was breakfast, if everyone was home. I really missed that. I can remember eating supper together when I was young and my sister was in high school. Every night she would fill in the family on the latest high school drama. Ha!

Here is a quote from an article published in TIME: "Studies show that the more often families eat together, the less likely kids are to smoke, drink, do drugs, get depressed, develop eating disorders and consider suicide, and the more likely they are to do well in school, delay having sex, eat their vegetables, learn big words and know which fork to use."

We may have only used one fork when I was growing up, but I did know that it was important for me, Hubby, and Munchkin to sit down and eat together - without the tv on. So, a few months ago I told Hubby that is what I wanted, and thankfully, we have made it work. We eat supper together every night. During the week, Munchkin and I eat breakfast and lunch together at the table, without the tv on. Sometimes Hubby gets to eat breakfast with Munchkin, too.

Now, I want to point out that there are times when we still eat in shifts, and rare occasions when we eat in front of the tv, so for those of you who do, and it works for you, great! But I have found that sitting down and eating a meal together without any distractions has already had great benefits. Meals are more relaxing, everyone tells us what a great eater Munchkin is, I still feel connected with my husband because the time allows us to catch up with one another, and I feel like we're eating healthier because I focus more on our meals than I used to.

I also know that once another Munchkin comes into the picture, we'll probably go back to eating in shifts. That's just the way it is with little babies, but we will get back to sitting at the table together as a family to share the meal as soon as we can.

If eating together at the table without the tv on is something you and your family haven't done in awhile, I encourage you to give it a try. It may be tough at first getting used to it, but soon it will turn into a routine that you may actually enjoy!

Happy Eating!