I read an article recently in Slate magazine about a study a BYU professor recently did on the effect eating family dinner together has on parents (you can read the article here).
She found that parents who regularly have family dinner feel less work/family imbalance, felt greater personal success and success in their relationships with their families than people who work similar hours (all the parents worked at IBM) but who don't get home for dinner regularly.
I think that I agree with the study. Being able to be home and not miss importaint things (like dinner, bath and bedtime) makes me feel like more of a success- more like I can do this working/mommy thing. Nights that I don't make it home for dinner I feel more resentful of my job and less successful at the work/life balance.
However (as with so many thing about being a working Mommy) it is a catch 22. Some nights, when I know I need to work late, it is almost a relief to not have to do the rushing that it takes to get dinner on the table, the constant battle to get Princess to eat more than fruit, and the screaming from Birdy when we forget to give her her OWN fork. Sometimes I'm happy to let DMP deal and grab a burger on the way home. I wouldn't say that dinner together is relaxing for fun (yet- maybe when the girls are older?). It is nice to realize that I am getting something out of it, though :)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I think some of my favorite memories from growing up have been the conversations we had around the dinner table. I definitely think it's an important thing to do with your family. Heck, even Matt and I try to do it. We make sure there's no TV/Internet/etc during dinner. Which, when you're eating on chairs in your living room, is hard to keep it a semi-formal affair!
So yeah...I agree.
Jay casually remarked the other day that Sam needed a haircut because his current one is awful, and Samuel overheard and we got an indignant "no it's not!!!!" I forget that they can hear and comprehend sometimes.
Hi....i agree. For a busy/working mom/wife like me, preparing dinner and eating together is the most important task within a day. We can share stories, worries and the bond between us can be strengthen
Post a Comment