Dinner at the Table May Make Teenage Years Easier

OMAHA, Neb., March 16, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Boys Town releases poll results today that show less than half (46%) of Americans are eating family meals together at least once a day, yet 93% know eating regular family meals together is important. Results from the survey, conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of Boys Town in January 2015 among over 2,000 U.S. adults, also show that 94% of Americans know that a family meal is a good time for families to communicate.

Boys Town Psychologist, Dr. Tom Reimers, believes family mealtime is an important part of raising children.  He says parents should start the routine early so they can start a communication pattern that will continue through the more difficult teenage years. "A lot of times when kids get older they won't talk, but parents really haven't spent time throughout the child's lifetime talking with them on a regular basis"

Boys Town, one of the largest non-profit childcare organizations in the country, offers advice for parents to help bring families back to the table.

1. As a family discuss priorities and make family meals one of them. Create a large color-coded family calendar that includes a scheduled mealtime between band practice and soccer.
2. Make the most of the ten minutes you do have for dinner by asking poignant questions that trigger conversations instead of one word answers.
3. Create a family rule that cell phones, tablets and the television must be turned off and cannot be brought to the dinner table.
4. Get kids engaged through meal participation. Kids are more likely to be excited to sit down for a meal they helped create. Allow them to help at the grocery store, create the menu or stir ingredients.
5. Find a different time if supper won't fit in the schedule. Have a snack together before bedtime or eat breakfast together in the morning and take a few minutes to talk without any distractions.

"It's really important for parents, and families in general, to get rid of the distractions that are abundant during mealtime," said Dr. Thomas Reimers, Boys Town Staff Psychologist. "That means turning off the television, putting phones away and getting rid of technology that can disrupt or distract from having a good conversation." 

Boys Town invites families to make a point to turn off the television or cell phone and sit down to a family dinner on Tuesday, March 24. Start a new family tradition and start reconnecting at the table.

For more information about ways to maximize meal time visit: http://www.boystown.org/parenting/guides/at-the-table. 

About Boys Town
Nationally, Boys Town has been a beacon of hope for America's children and families through its life-changing youth care and health care programs for more than 90 years.  In 2014, Boys Town's Integrated Continuum of youth care and health care programs impacted more than 500,000 children and families across America. This includes those who received services from Boys Town's residential programs as well as those served by the many varied programs that comprise the Boys Town Integrated Continuum of Child and Family Services, including In-Home Family Services, health care services provided by Boys Town National Research Hospital and the Boys Town National Hotline.

Media Contact:
Kara Neuverth
402.498.1305
[email protected]

SOT available for reporters here: http://www.boystown.org/news-media/news-release/at-the-table.

Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of Boys Town from January 21-23, 2015 among 2,057 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Lauren Laferla, Boys Town Media Relations, 402-498-1273 or [email protected]

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SOURCE Boys Town

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