Too distracted for family.

In today’s society everyone is so on the go that they aren’t able to sit down for even 30 minutes to have a meal. 

Growing up in a family that is super close, I could not imagine not having that time everyday to just sit and talk. I remember our teacher asking one year how many of us eat dinner at table with our families every night and I was astounded by the three other hands that were raised other than my own. My family has always taken that extra step to make sure that if we get anything, we get a little time together. 

Today’s world has very much transformed into a “go, go, go” society. Everything is about being fast, efficient and successful. However it is very easy to get caught up in the fast paced lifestyle, making it easy to miss what’s right in front of you.  “I think a lot of people have forgotten the importance of a family dinner every night, just because everyone is so busy these days and most people don’t have time to prepare dinner every night so they just push it off and use it as an excuse than doing what they can for a family dinner,” said Abigail Carlisle, junior.  

The families who claim to be too busy to have a family dinner are probably the families that would benefit from it the most. To just take a step back from the constant running and just sit with your loved ones. “I don’t necessarily think it [not having a family dinner] would change a lot because of how my family is built. Without the dinner we wouldn’t be able to keep updated with each other and it might make it harder to talk everyday with the different things going on,” said Carlisle.  

Obviously a family dinner isn’t going to be the only solution when trying to build a close family. Sometimes families are just naturally close. “My family is all busy and gets home at different times. We never really make plans together unless we go out to eat somewhere. My family has become a lot closer recently because we confide in each other more, not eating together doesn’t really affect that. When we do eat together it puts me in a good mood just by talking to everyone about their day,” said Regan Green, sophomore. 

Naturally, eating dinner with your family isn’t the only factor that can make a close tight knit family, yet it can be one of the easiest ways to take advantage of an opportunity to be with family. It should become more of a priority to have dinner with family even just every once in a while because it’s just nice to feel like you’re together.