Finding time for family dinners

In one of my classes I had to write a paper about a current issue in child nutrition. I decided to write about the benefits of nightly family dinners. The information I found was astounding, so I thought I would share...

Norman Rockwell made it look so picturesque.

The foods we eat and the way we eat them have changed dramatically over the last one hundred years.  This can hardly be considered surprising, given the way the modern lifestyle has changed. The on-the-go life of the parent is rivaled only by the practically busier lifestyle of the child. Between soccer practice, ballet class, math tutors, and play dates, finding time to educate children about healthy nutrition is scarce. The frantic nature of our lifestyles is mirrored in a dramatic change in the food industry. Ready made meals now have an entire aisle dedicated to them in the grocery store. Pizza restaurants offer drive by pie pickups without even calling in an order. Countless restaurants will deliver food to the front door. Fast food chains continue to thrive and seem to pop up on every corner. It is SO EASY to eat poorly.
Parents can make a huge impact in the child's nutrition practice by having a family dinner. The term ‘family dinner’ or ‘family meal’ means a meal cooked at home by a parent and consumed in the household while sitting around a table with the absence of cell pones, television, and other modern distractions. Eating at home around the table encourages many healthy behaviors, such as cooking with a parent, weekly meal planning, and an active education about what goes into food we eat. Learning to understand what real food looks like, tastes like, and where it comes from is essential for a fundamental background in proper nutrition.  In addition to these benefits, parents who insist on family dinners at home offer a support system in which members of the family discuss their day, offer advice, and spend quality time with each other. Likewise, children who have regular meals with their parents are 42% less likely to drink heavily, 50% less likely to smoke and 66% less likely to smoke marijuana. Children who eat a family dinner at home also display higher grades and healthier relationships than children who do not. Families, including both the children and the parents, who eat dinner at home have statistically lower body mass indices than families who do not. Not a huge surprise as take out and restaurant meals are often 2 to 3 times the recommended portion size and far more calorie dense than home cooked meals. 
I don't have kids and can still hardly find the time to cook for myself every night, so it's hard to imagine how tough it would be for a parent of a couple kids. But these are some pretty crazy stats. At all costs, try to find the time. And even if you don't have kids, try to find the time cook dinner with the people you care about and sit down around a table to enjoy it. Maybe even with the cell phones off.