Transformation of the dinner hour is one example of the ways families are loosing opportunities to spend time together and communicate. Nowadays, Sunday is just another shopping day, which means that millions of American adults and teens are at work that day. Kids will talk to me about the fact that they don t talk with their parents. Parents say, I catch a few minutes with them when I tuck them in at night, Lowenstein said. We just got too busy doing other things.
People say their family is a priority.
But doing the things that have been important to maintaining families is not the priority. The dinner table is probably the most important place for communication to go on. Family dinners promote communication, strengthen family bonds and relationships, teach family values, improve nutrition, help family members solve problems and learn about one another, save money, bring order and structure to families and allow for discussion of family needs and plans for activities, he said. Preparing a meal together builds a sense of cooperation and connection. It is still possible to have meals together one, two or three nights a week, he said.