Why Eating Together Is Important — And How You Can Incentivise The Family

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It can be easy to cut a few corners during family life. Sometimes, after a day at work, we just want to get back to the house, cook up something quick to eat, flick the television on – there’s probably a new Netflix show that everyone’s telling us we have to watch – and then switch our mind off for the rest of the day.

But the issue with this is that we’re not spending time with our family. That is to say, we’re not really taking in their company and interacting with them.

Dinner Was A Way To Come Together

Dinner, at one stage, was a way to get around this. In a funny sort of way, cooking and preparing a meal would force the family to come together, but the rise in digital media and remote working has meant that everybody is on a different schedule. There are so many more distractions, so many more excuses.

Nowadays, people have forgotten why eating together as a family is so important. Sitting down together helps the family to handle daily stresses, express things that they otherwise would have kept to themselves, strengthen mental health, and it’s also a good way to promote healthy eating habits.

But How Can You Incentivise A Family?

But while this all sounds good, you might be thinking it’s a little hard to incentivise a family to sit down for dinner. However, this is often because you haven’t created an ideal space to do so. Ask yourself, do you feel inclined to spend a substantial amount of time in the dining room? Do you have comfortable dining room sets?  Is it a space which encourages conversation?

If you have a dining room, it is essential that you ensure it is as aesthetically pleasing as possible. The chairs need to be comfortable, and the table big enough to encompass all the family. You also need to ensure the room is cosy. So often, dining rooms – especially traditional dining rooms – can feel a little compact, cold, simply practical, not a luxury.

Why should the family sit here when they can sit in one of the more comfortable rooms in the house? You need to give the family a reason to not only eat in the dining room but use it as a space to interact with family, have a conversation, and stay there longer than the food is on the plate!

It All Comes Back To Home Design

In this way, it all comes back to home design. Of course, it is important for the family to eat together and spend time in each other’s company, but you need to know how to make a room comfortable, inviting, and cosy.

In essence, you need to put as much into your dining room as you would any other room in the house – perhaps more so because family members are going to congregate in a kitchen, lounge or bedroom no matter what. By doing so, you will put family first and ensure you remain connected.

 

Jeff Campbell
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