Please click here to watch an informative video from John Parsons on the importance of family mealtimes. Below is a summary, including tips, from the video posting:
Children tell me that they love spending time with family eating food together. Adolescence is a vulnerable time for children, and it is crucial that communication is maintained with them as they approach adolescence and move beyond it.
Sitting and being present with children while eating creates opportunities for the guardian to access the child’s needs on a daily basis. It also allows the child to talk about how they are feeling and what they might be dealing with.
Tips for family mealtimes
- Turn off all noise pollution, TV, radio and turn the phones to silent
- Let the kids help prepare food
- Allocate time after eating and sit with them and simply be with each other
- Ask each person about a challenge they faced in the last week and how they dealt with it
- Ask each person about an act of kindness they witnessed or experienced and how it made them feel
