"What is a family? They're just people who make you feel less alone and really loved."
-Mary Tyler Moore
What's so important about dinnertime?
At First Step, families are asked to gather for dinner whenever possible. Women prepare meals for themselves and their children using our communal supplies. We believe that the family dinner time is one of the most important times of the day. It is a chance for families to join around the table and talk, discuss their day or whatever is on their minds.
Dr. Blake Bowden and his colleagues at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Center surveyed 527 teenagers to determine what lifestyle characteristics were related to mental health and adjustment- what factors best predict whether a teenager will do well in school, have a supportive circle of friends and not be on drugs, not be depressed, and not be in truoble with the law.
Their most astonishing finding? The most important factor is whether the adolescents and their parents ate dinner together five or more times a week.
Studies by the Harvard Graduate School of Education echoed those findings: the most important factor in child development is dinnertime. It's far more important than playtime, school and story time.
Unfortunately, only 1/3 of U.S. families eat dinner together most nights. With determinatino and planning, it is possible to schedule more family meals into each week. The most important thing isn't what you eat- or even where you eat it. It's eating together.
Dinners at First Step also promote healthy habits and nutritious meals. Women often take advantage of our nutrition classes and "Shopping on a Budget" seminar, hosted by our Child and Family Development Coordinator. We work in cooperation with the Ohio State University Extension offices to offer detailed information on cooking, cleaning and helping kids stay on the road to good nutrition.
Families are also responsible for their own laundry and cleaning and maintaining their rooms, as well as assigned chores. We believe that self-sufficiency and responsibility are very important in one's own home as well as here.
