Excerpt from the book Through a Child’s Eyes, written by Nikole R Jiggetts, LCSW (read more about the book below.)
“I want to spend time with you.”
How many families still have dinner together? Or do you eat in one place and the children eat in their rooms? I’ve heard parents say they feed their children while they are cleaning or doing the laundry. Some feed the children and then wait for their husbands to come home and eat as a couple. It seems like a rare occurrence for families to eat together unless it is a special occasion, or they are eating at a restaurant. What does it mean when families eat meals together in comparison to making sure your family is fed? Time spent together.
According to the article “9 scientifically Proven Reasons to Eat Dinner as a Family” (May 2016) by Mirele Mann on goodnet.com, families who eat together stay together. More specifically, she referenced how television shows in the 1960’s showed more families having dinner together and having daily conversations during their dinner. Over time, shows on television would demonstrate fewer family dinners and more busy families trying to get their day done. She further explains the benefits of eating together. The main three benefits contribute to enhancing the family relationships as eating meals together gives a sense of security and a feeling of belonging. You have the opportunity to catch up on the day as well as get advice and support about the important things in life. Another take away is that it can improve grades which I’m sure as parents we all have snags helping our children manage their grades in school. The last one is the increase in happiness and relieving of stress. I’m pretty sure that when the child spoke this quote about dinner, she was not thinking about her grades or parents stress level, but just that she wanted attention.
Going back to meals together, food usually makes people feel more relaxed and freer to talk. Children have their family’s attention at the dinner table, and they feel they have spent quality time with their family. When parents become more engaged in their child’s day, children get to share about their day and the parent-child connection grows stronger. This also increases self-esteem as children tend to feel more confident to share. Their behaviors are saying “I want to spend time with you,” and enjoy a good meal.
Through a Child’s Eyes, is a book for parents to have view of what life is like for a child sometimes.
Too often adults structure their environment, schedule, and plans around adult-like things. When you have children, the lens through which you see things needs to be adjusted so that the environment, schedule, and plans can run more smoothly. When the parent changes this, they feel the difference in their stress level and their relationship begins to improve as well.
These stories, quotes, and information covered in this book are designed to help parents and adults working with children understand what children’s behaviors are telling us, learn how to react to their behaviors, and lastly maintain a close and healthy bond.
To order your copy today, click this link and you will directed to Amazon.
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