Sitting down together at family mealtimes is key
IRISH parents spend more time on household chores than sitting down together for family dinners.
Almost half of parents spend twice as much time cleaning their house every day (63 minutes), than eating dinner with their family (30 minutes), according to the Dolmio Dinner Project Research.
But the research also highlighted that parents do know about the vital role eating together plays in family bonding — nine in 10 see it as key to a happier family.
In fact, six in 10 parents would prioritise eating together as a family higher than reading bedtime stories to their children (29%).
Yet families struggle to get to the dinner table as often as they’d like, with one in five managing it just a couple of times a week.
Child and adolescent psychotherapist and CEO of Parents Plus charity John Sharry says: “Many see the importance of family dinners — they have a very positive experience when they do it — but they lament it doesn’t happen enough.”
Why they don’t is down to busy lifestyles, but careful planning can get around this, says Sharry.
“Households tend to be very busy, with children and parents off doing different activities. The antidote is to build a very good routine around dinnertime. Plan the week carefully.
"When’s the best time? When can you make a commitment? If you’re not going to be able to do it every evening, commit to it one or two evenings a week.”
With eight in 10 parents admitting they cook multiple dinner options to encourage family to share meal times together, this can actually create more work for parents and erode time available to sit down with family.
“Children have favourite foods, so some degree of choice can be helpful — why not schedule one child’s favourite food for Monday, another’s for Tuesday.
"Or rather than serving everything, put some dinner in the centre that people can choose from,” suggests Sharry, who advises to keep the goal in mind: sitting and eating together.
“Often children are eating and parents are still rushing back and forth serving.”
Some 55% of parents surveyed agree the best conversations happen at the dinner table.
It’s the moment when parents hear stories about their children’s day and get the chance to connect with them and hear updates on their life.
“Dinner’s a time when conversations can start. It’s all about no rush,” says Sharry, who warns that there isn’t enough parent-child conversation happening.
“I see parents on their phone while walking with children to school.”
* Eight in 10 parents believe sitting together to eat as a family has long-lasting benefits for child’s development.
* 88% believe the act of sharing meal times fosters better social skills.
* 83% say it contributes to building stronger vocabulary in their children.
* Six in 10 parents attribute increased school success to regularly taking time to eat together and connect as a supportive family unit.
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