Teenagers Benefit from Regular Family Meals
December 3, 2007
Did You Know...Only a third of kids in grades 11 and 12 have dinner with their families on a regular basis? Yet study after study shows that teenagers benefit from regular family meals.
When my kids were little, I smiled at each spoonful of carrot mush, applauded every new word. When they got older, and developed interests and skills, I encouraged their commitments to friends, jobs, lessons and activities that took them farther and farther from home.
We all want our children to grow up to lead productive independent lives. But as they grow into themselves, we can forget how much they still need us. Family meals are an important, and pleasurable, way to connect.
When I interviewed teenagers out of earshot of their parents, they often volunteered how much they appreciated the effort grown ups made to keep up the family meals.
Through the storms of adolescence, kids feel safe and confident when they know there's a place for them at the family table.
Mealtimes Matter Video
from Miriam Weinstein
About Miriam
Miriam Weinstein is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. As a journalist, she has won several awards from the New England Press Association. Her work has appeared in Boston Magazine, the Boston Globe magazine, Hope, and ParentSource. A former staff member for North Shore Weeklies and freelancer for Essex County Newspapers, she writes restaurant reviews and food columns as well as features on a wide variety of subjects. She lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with her husband and has two grown children.
The Surprising Power of Family Meals
In her book, The Surprising Power of Family Meals, Miriam Weinstein shows how this basic human institution helps nourish and strengthen our families today. You can buy this book from our friends at Smucker's® Online Store.
