I have noticed in some of the newer television programs that friends or families are shown eating meals in the family room while watching TV. So I wonder—what happened to the kitchen table?

When I was growing up in the 50’s and 60’s, each room in a house had a specific purpose. The living room was for formal entertaining. The family room was for casual entertaining and family activities. The kitchen was where meals were cooked and served, and the family ate around the kitchen table. If a home had a formal dining room, that was reserved for entertaining guests or for the Sunday noon meal after church. The rooms were divided by walls and you couldn’t see the twenty-inch TV from the kitchen or living room.

Things have changed—and not for the better! Today’s homes have more of an open concept where one room flows into another without partitions or divisions. The big-screen TV can be seen from almost every room in the house, and meals are eaten on bar stools at the kitchen counter or on the sofa in front of the TV. How sad.

In a research project coordinated by Dr. Blake Bowden of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, 527 teenagers were studied to determine what family and lifestyle characteristics were related to good mental health and adjustment.  He found that kids who ate dinner with their families at least five times per week were the least likely to take drugs, feel depressed, or get into trouble. And I have a feeling the meals were served at the kitchen table! [www.cfs.purdue.edu/cff/documents/promoting_meals/spellsuccessfactsheet.pdf ]

Eating meals together helps you to connect with your children emotionally and spiritually. It’s a time to talk about the day’s events—good or bad. It’s also the perfect time to have kid-friendly devotions and pray together as a family. Security and belonging are two basic emotional need all children have. Eating with the family around the table feeds both of those needs.

While my husband and I raised our kids, we had a kitchen table and a formal dining room. We often ate our meals in the dining room because the kitchen table was cluttered with homework! I found that when we ate in the dining room, our kids were calmer, we talked more, and we sat around the table longer. It removed us from the clutter and chaos in the kitchen and allowed us to enjoy some quality time, even if we were eating hamburgers.

Regardless of where your table is—use it! Eat there often. And if you can see the TV from your eating area—turn it off.

Here’s to happy meals and happy families!

CRYSTAL