Thank the Cook
March 17, 2008
Did you know? Children and teens who eat family dinners eat more fruits and vegetables, and less fried food.
When I was making meals for my kids every night, I encouraged them to thank me. Not because I, personally, felt that I needed to be recognized (I was, after all, prodding them to do the thanking, and it only happened sometimes) but because I wanted them to understand that it takes some effort to produce a meal.
With all our talk about the pleasures and benefits of family mealtimes, we can gloss over the fact that planning, shopping, cooking and cleaning do, after all, require time and exertion.
But this is work that has an immediate benefit - it results in something tasty that we can enjoy together. This is work that is available to kids at all skill levels. This is work that is sociable, and that teaches real skills. This is work that is worth doing.
Of course, when my kids helped, I thanked them for their efforts. Then we all got to eat the good things we had made.
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.
