The importance of pattern

So I just read this article on the importance of family dinners. And it really made sense to me. As life gets ever more hectic with sports practices, works schedules etc. I think that our emphasis on eating at home for dinner is very important. Many of my memories of growing up came from the many family dinners. When I look back at my dad's house especially they really were a marvel when you consider we were juggling 5-7 kids, my parents, my grandmother, and on many occasions a family member or border who was staying with us and often friends. So we managed to get dinner made for anywhere from 10 to 12 people every night. And when I say we I mean we, all of the kids had an assigned night when they cooked or assisted in cooking, laying out the dishes and another kid or kids did the dishes. Granted my step mother did a lot of planning and assisting on the cooking, but the kids were still an instrumental part of the process.

All of which brings me to my point, those nights, and the consistency of a day to day schedule were important to everyone growing up. And Kim & I are doing our best to maintain that with our kids. We keep the kids on a pretty consistent schedule of eating and sleeping, even in the midst of summer. And if there is any really noticeable difference between them and their cousins it is that consistency.

And another effect this has is that it helps everyone out health wise. Because with 3 younger kids the ease of the drive thru is very very tempting. So taking the time to get the kids to the dinner table and eat a balanced meal helps them and us. and it also helps out the wallet. Eating out every meal is a ludicrous expense when you add kids.

So while the family dinner may not have all of the wonderful effects some people ascribe to it, it does have some excellent benefits for us. It helps establish routine, helps us maintain reasonable healthy eating habits, helps control the food budget. And that is well worth the effort it takes to create a menu and get the cooking done every night.