It is irrefutable that eating together is a social activity. Sharing dinner together gives everyone a sense of identity. It can help ease day-to-day conflicts, as well as establish traditions and memories that can last a lifetime.
The first and foremost advantage of eating together is that it creates a sense of belonging. Conversations during the meal provide opportunities for the family to bond and learn from one another. It’s a chance to share information and news of the day, as well as give extra attention to your children and teens. Family meals foster warmth, security and love, as well as feelings of belonging. It can be a unifying experience for all.
Secondly, family mealtime is the perfect opportunity to teach appropriate table manners, etiquette, and social skills. Parents can be perfect role models in this and children learn by following them. What is more, meals prepared and eaten at home are usually more nutritious and healthy. They contain more fruits, vegetables, and dairy products along with additional nutrients such as fiber, calcium, vitamins A and C, and folate.
Furthermore, research shows that frequent family dinners (five or more a week), are associated with lower rates of smoking, drinking, and illegal drug use in pre-teens and teenagers when compared to families that eat together two or fewer times per week. To add to it, children do better in school when they eat more meals with their parents and family.
In my country most people do value shared mealtime. However, the fast paced life and influence of the global culture is taking some away from this custom. Fortunately, some recent studies have shown that even in the developed countries people are realizing the importance of family meals and are downshifting. It is indeed time to bring the "family" back to the dinner table.
To put it in a nutshell, I pen down saying that eating together is definitely an important social activity. That it why it has been said that, ‘The family that eats together stays together’.
