Planning a sit-down family meal is more important than ever today. Numerous studies have confirmed family meals are important, so why are so few people making them a priority? A recent poll showed 78 percent of families say having dinner as a family is very important, but less than 50 percent of those families actually eat together on a regular basis.

“It’s a problem here,” said clinical psychologist Dr. John Day, who counsels families in the area who are going through hard times. “It’s always a problem because there are so many activities demanding our time.”

He said everything about a family meal is good. “It helps with family identity. It helps kids with their values and to establish traditions. It creates good eating habits.”

Jennifer Reader of Marquette Heights knows all the facts about the benefits of eating together, but she can see why so many families don’t follow through. “We have cub scouts, girl scouts, volleyball, and scholastic bowl,” said Reader, who has three kids: nine-year-old twins and a 12-year-old son. “We do eat dinner together every night, but it’s only at home three nights a week.”

Reader has made family dinners a priority. She grew up with that tradition, and she wants it to carry on. “It’s a great time to hear about what’s going on at school. I found out Kylie was firing her friends at lunch and then rehiring them. I never would have known to explain to her that that was wrong if we didn’t have family dinner time.”

Day said he has clients who have family breakfast together because the evenings are so busy. “If you can never have a family meal during the weekday, there needs to be some traditions built in during the weekends. That could be a Sunday night or even a noon dinner. You just need to create that stability.”

For Reader and her family, the tradition starts with preparing the meal. “Usually, Kylie helps me get everything ready, we talk about what happened that day while we eat, and the boys do the dishes.” Reader admits it takes a lot of planning not to end up in front of the TV with a fast food bag when it gets hectic. “Once you get out of the habit, it’s really hard to get back in it.”

Day said planning meals is your best bet. “Usually, if they’re planning meals, parents make sure they’re healthy, and they make sure everyone in the family will be there. ” TPW