There are strong links or associations between disease and certain risk factors. There are also strong links between social stimuli and behavioral outcome. One such social stimuli has received a lot of press in the last decade - the family meal.
What behaviors could possibly be associated with the family meal? Psychologists now know that quite a bit hinges on this simple concept of getting the family together at least once a day around a meal. Lets see what is happening at this congregation of appetites. First of all, the family is all together. This creates a forum for communication between family members. In fact, it's almost an expected outcome of dining together - there must be conversation. If this gathering has been a component of the family structure all along, then nothing about this aspect of eating together seems foreign.
Secondly, children like to know that the family members all like each other. This helps create a safe haven in the mind's of children. They feel like they can find security and safety in the family unit. Much like wild animals do when they are a part of a whole versus when they are loners by themselves. Look at the wolf pack, for instance. There is security in the pack, but in contrast, the coyote has to depend on it's wits and self-preservation. Human children and adolescents are hardwired to live in packs rather than to be tossed to the winds of fortune. This sense of belonging and trust is reinforced at mealtime.
The evidence is quite strong that these two factors play a role in the child's behavior. As you would expect, the alcohol and substance abuse percentages are skewed heavily against those who do not regularly participate in a family dinnertime meal. Adolescent smoking is much higher in children whose families do not meet around the dinner table on a regular basis. That safety net is ripped and the bonds of meaningful conversation have been abandoned. Because of this simple idea, many around the world are needing to get stop smoking help.
Unfortunately for the kids, mealtime is an easy thing to skip. What with the many activities that children find themselves needing to participate in. There's soccer, baseball, gymnastics, band, after school programs, karate, etc. Parents too find themselves working longer hours, especially in tougher economies.
It all comes down to priorities. What are families willing to give up in order to help protect the ritual of eating together? In the long run, they may be giving up substance abuse, addiction, and all the other stigmas associated with those experiments. So reduce the risk that your children will take up smoking and have dinner with them, as a family, as much of the time as possible.
