Not At The Dining Table!

For most families, the only time they really get to spend time together in a day is during the evening meal. Breakfast is usually a hurried affair as everyone rushes of to school or work. Nobody is home for lunch but mom and the baby. Basically, the house stands vacant until afternoon.

By the tie everyone comes home, they have had a full day. Everyone is tired. Some may be excited. There are disagreements. If you have a teenager in the house, there is probably loud music banging away somewhere overhead. The kids are noisy and all trying to get your attention.

Usually, the time to catch up on what’s been happening with each other is over dinner. Unfortunately this also opens the door for some arguments as each child tries to speak first or disagrees with what another is saying. There is the factor of you are training them in proper table manners. Oh, and don’t forget the tension of adults - you may be in the middle of a disagreement about something.

Make it a family agreement to keep dinnertime a peaceful time. Arguments and disagreements make for bad digestion. Leave them outside the dining room. You can always take them up again after the dishes are cleaned, right? Often, it will fade by the time dinner is done. You’ll also find that you’ll also be better able to handle any problems when you are full rather than when you’re hungry.

Try it for yourself. You may be amazed at how much it can improve your family relationships.