As I've thought about the past few years and how our family has changed (read: 3 kids in 3 years!), our traditions and celebrations have become more simple. Our three little ones are pretty demanding right now and as much as I love to celebrate every holiday there is, I'm learning that it is not possible! And I'm afraid the more busy life gets, the harder it will be to carve out time for celebrations and traditions. I know our morning tradition of having a late and lazy breakfast won't be possible as we rush kids out the door to school, to just name one.
However, no matter how busy we get, there is one tradition that I never want to let go.
That tradition is: Family Dinner!!
I've recently read quite a few articles about why family dinner is so important. According to Anne Fishel, eating dinner with your children can help them eat healthier, avoid behavioral problems, and some research suggests that school-aged children will have better academic achievement when eating as a family. Sign me up! I'm pretty sure the list of benefits doesn't stop there. From what I can see, there are no negative side effects of eating dinner together.
I totally get that having a sit-down dinner together is not always possible. Sometimes schedules won't allow it and every family situation is different. I don't think dinner always has to be gourmet and time-consuming. Rather, it's a time to unplug, sit at the table together, eat food, and talk. But, if everyone's got the time and inclination for it, then there's no harm in looking for a nice sunday dinner restaurant for a fancy dinner either! That can be super fun once a while, too.
I've been working hard the last few months to find ways to simplify our dinner prep and also make it a time that we all look forward to!
Stay tuned for more ideas on how to simplify and spice up your family dinner time to create a tradition everyone will love.
Let us know what you think!