[:en] Newsletter

As a New Year begins, most of us are doing two things: reflecting on the year that’s just passed, and making resolutions for the one ahead of us. When it comes to the family dinner table, both of those activities can be useful in making your mealtimes the best they can be.

Over the past year, we’ve learned so much from real families about the way they make family dinners work in their homes. Here’s a look back at some of our favorite pieces of wisdom from families like yours:

“In high school we gave him five ‘get out of dinner’ passes, which he ended up rarely using. By junior year he confessed his gratitude for the dinners….our ‘strictness about these stupid dinners’ gave him a great out when his friends tried to sway him to challenge us.” ~ The Darvick Family
“Family is most definitely the foundation of any child’s life. The Family Dinner Project showed me that to be successful in life, a bond with your family is important.” ~ The Townsend Family
“With feeding seven people, if three people will actually eat it, we call it a meal!” ~ The Swanson Family
“It is important to us as a family to spend time asking each other about our days and letting each other know that amidst the chaos of the day, in the end, he or she is ultimately what matters in our lives.” ~ The McLaughlin Family
“It’s very easy to rush through dinner, eat fast, and quickly leave the table to do all the other things that need to get done versus enjoying the whole experience.” ~ The Nogueira Family

We’re not done learning from families about their dinners, and we hope you’ll share your experiences with us! As we look ahead to the New Year, we’re asking followers of The Family Dinner Project to complete a short survey about their dinnertime habits, to help us further improve our content and programs for families. All survey participants can enter to win an Amazon gift card!

COMPLETE THE SURVEY NOW

Thank you for your ongoing engagement with The Family Dinner Project! Happy New Year!

Meet the Andersons! Danielle and Dane share how they keep family dinners fun and engaging for their kindergartener and his baby brother, despite busy schedules and a world of distractions.

Real Family Dinner Projects: The Anderson Family »

Food

In some countries, like Italy, lentils are a traditional New Year’s food — their “coin” shape symbolizes wealth and prosperity. Try them in this unique soup recipe from our friends at AAFCS!

Corn and Turkey Meatball Lentil Soup »

Fun

Use family dinner as a time to reflect back and look forward with our Reflecting and Resolving activity.

Reflecting and Resolving »

Conversation

Start the year off with some thoughts about how to improve your community. Try our Civic Conversation Starters at the dinner table.

Civic Conversation Starters »[:es] Newsletter October

October is a month of thrills and chills, when people delight in telling their favorite horror stories. While we hope that the family dinner table is a place for enjoying the fun and excitement of storytelling, we also know some families who would say that dinnertime has given them a few scary stories to tell!

Never fear — just as jack-o-lanterns can light up the night and Mom and Dad can check to be sure there are no real monsters under the bed, there are ways to banish the ghosts of family dinners past and make the table a fun, positive place for everyone. Here are our suggestions for tackling the “scary” things that might be keeping you away from the table.

We’ve heard from many people who tell us that they grew up with family dinners that have scared them away from the table as adults. Overbearing grown-ups, angry exchanges and force-feeding are just some of the memories on the list of horror stories we’ve heard.

If you’re in the “bad memories” club, these resources can help you get back to the dinner table for a much better experience with your own family:

Getting off on the Right Foot »
Creating Meaningful Conversation »
Taking the Stress out of Family Dinner (from the Washington Post) »

We’re the first people to say that going overboard on stressing manners at the expense of an enjoyable mealtime is a quick way to ruin family dinner for everyone. But on the other hand, no one can relax when the behavior at the table is truly out of control.

Try these tips to help strike the balance between “Elbows off the table” perfection and “Finger painting on the walls” rebellion:

Answering Real Moms’ Family Dinner Questions »
Make Your Toddler a Cooperative Diner »
The Origins of Manners »

And check out the “Common Challenges” section of our FAQ page for even more advice!

Too many families avoid eating dinner together because they are tired of dealing with a mealtime atmosphere that feels more like punishment than family time. Whether it’s teens who won’t talk, sibling conflicts or conversations that always seem to end in arguments, any constant source of tension at the table is bound to scare people away.

Explore ways to make dinnertime safe and welcoming for the whole family:

How to Beat Tension and Conflict from Your Family Dinner »
Steps to Ease Dinner Stress for Stepfamilies »
Making the Most of Dinner with Adolescents »

Meet the Elder family! Kathy is a teacher who uses her own family dinners as inspiration to help her students and their families.

Real Family Dinner Projects: The Elder Family »