With a variety of school and extracurricular schedules, it can be hard to get the entire family together for dinner every night. Instead, aim for a family dinner two nights a week, and make them meaningful. Doing this will help you connect as a family, and give your children a sense of structure and routine. Try some of the ideas below and you may find that everyone makes an extra effort to get home in time.
- Don’t underestimate the power of sandwiches and candles. You don’t need to go crazy preparing an amazing dinner every night- wouldn’t you rather make something simple, and fancy it up by lighting candles and putting on some nice music? I know a Mom who plays classical music every night at dinner. She says that it really helps everyone slow down after a busy day.
- Keep your kids busy while you prepare dinner by enlisting their "help." For example, they could: Do silly things like set the table backwards or think up a harmless joke to play on Dad (maybe put an action figure in his cup.) It’s amazing how creative kids can get with this; just make sure they run it by you first because you wouldn’t want anything really bad to happen to dear old Dad.
- After everyone is at the table, it’s nice to start with an “arrival” ritual. For some families that can mean saying grace, and for others it could be a simple moment of silence, or a special greeting you create as a family. The point is to make this time together something special and sacred.
- Skip the typical “So how was your day?” question, which often gets a mumbled “fine” from kids. Instead, ask something specific like: "What surprised you today?" "Tell us about something that made you laugh," or "Did you get upset about anything today?" Make sure you get a chance to answer these questions, as well.
Remember to laugh during dinner! When I was younger, my dad could be a real comedian, and when he and my brother teamed up, our family dinners often turned into what my mother called a "Three-ring circus!” But honestly, those are the dinners that we remember now.