The Family Dinner: Why those 25 Minutes are the most Crucial

As soon as your child leaves his crib and starts to explore the world around him, you lost a certain amount of control over him. It takes 13 to 16 more years till your child becomes completely independent (no more mommy and baby moments). Some parents take this as a big blow to their family bonding as the children flee from the nest. This article will explore how you can still find the time to connect with your child, even after he no longer feels the need to mingle with you.

The Importance of Dinner Talk

Family dinners are the oldest tradition that has allowed the culture to remain intact for younger generations. No matter what happens, when it’s Christmas, the whole family has to be together. The sweet and sour dishes and the warmth of the family members’ laughter is what brings people together every year around one table. Sadly, this tradition seems to be fading. Children are becoming less and less attracted to the conventional family dinners and more drawn to unconventional gatherings that usually involve close friends.

To make sure that your child leaves for college with strong ties with the family, start early. And there is nothing better than a 20-25 minutes of family dinner when it comes to connecting with your child. Set the foundation for family dinner talks and encourage your kids to participate. It is quite possible that your child will shy away some of the conversations and would like to keep things to himself, but gradually he will shed the shyness mask to begin sharing things with you.

Why Bonding Matters?

Have you ever noticed why kids enjoy themselves around a commercial playground equipment or any play structure for that matter? It’s not the play structure that puts a big fat smile on their face, it’s associations that the kids develop on the playgrounds. Children love to bond with the person who can understand their little worries and help them sort them out. You could be that person for your child.

Other Ways to Rekindle Bond with Your Child

Here is a well-sorted list of things that you can do renew your child-parent bond:

• Use the playgrounds and the outdoor playground equipment to engage in fun-oriented activities. Try to be a friend for once in a while and forget about the conventional parenting laws.
• Arrange play dates and allow your kids to mingle with other kids. Most parents place a ban on play dates in order to get their kids to study. This is a wrong approach for making kids dedicate towards their study.
• Be responsive to your child and do not let any of his inquiries go unanswered.
• Be more involved with the school projects.
• Always initiate the conversation at the dinner table. For example, you can start the conversation by saying “how was everybody’s day? Mine was a bit tiring.”
• Never allow children to use screen-based devices on the dinner table.

Children will never open up to you if you do not let them. So, make some changes in your lifestyle and rekindle your bond with your children for a lasting relationship.