Family mealtimes around the table are becoming increasingly rare as researchers reveal that only 49% of families gather for their evening meals.
More than one in ten of the 713 parents studied said that their families rarely ate dinner together, opting to sit in front of the television instead, and just 11% of parents eat a meal with their children a maximum of twice a week.
Simon Furzey of the furniture company Metrofurniture.co.uk who conducted the survey in collaboration with Babies.co.uk, said: ‘While these concerns have been around for years, today the family mealtime faces a three-pronged attack from television, technology and relentless work schedules.’
Simon continues to say that their research has prompted them to call for a ‘dinner time revival’ where parents and children switch off from technology and move away from the couch.
‘Watching their parents’ behaviour at the dinner table is a great way for children to learn good manners and communication skills. We would like to see more families keeping technology away from the table and having real conversations. We understand that work schedules can make the family mealtime more difficult. But where possible, build time into your routine to eat together and treat it as important as any work engagement.’
Does your family enjoy at least one meal a day together? Do you feel this is important? Or is this just a sign of changing times? Leave your comments below.
We believe it’s very important to eat our evening meal together every night and definitely not in front of the TV. Fortunately we have a large dining table so we can all fit round. It’s a time to catch up, to find out how everyone’s day has been and generally put the world to rights! I think it’s really sad that family meals round the table are dying out.