Family Meals

The Deacon is always working harder on his Dad Brain than his Dad Bod.  Being a dual income household with activity aged kids can put a huge amount of tension on family life.  With so many things fighting for our attention we try to make a habit of sharing meals together.  A CDC study in 2017 revealed that kids 8-10 spend 6 hours a day in front of a screen, and that goes up 50 % for kids 11-14.  If we signed all 3 up for gymnastics we could not afford cable or the internet, so that is one solution.  According to thefamilydinnerproject.org “regular family dinners have been to behaviors that parent pray for – like lower rates of substance abuse, teen pregnancy and depression.”  These children reportedly also have higher GPA’s and self-esteem.  Studies also show that dinner conversation is a bigger vocabulary booster than reading.  Throw in a story from the Bible and together you can learn about faith, perseverance and the proper way to use “thou shalt not fear” to begin a story.

There is no magic number to how often to do this for greater success.  The secret is to go Michael Jordan and “Just Do It.”  Do not forget that pre-dinner prayer to make sure the healthy balanced meal is blessed and prevent the rise in childhood obesity.  Prayers do not prevent the flu … vaccinations do that.    Just for you Doc.

The Deacon Speaketh