The Disappearance of the Family Dinner

"The Disappearance of the Family Dinner"

Written by Shannon Bradley

Specific Purpose: To educate my audience about the importance of family meals and the difference that having even one meal a day as a family can make in the atmosphere of their home and in their household relationships.

Central Idea: The disappearance of shared meals has been linked to drug use and behavioral issues in children and in the breakdown of domestic relationships and communication. These issues can be combatted by scheduling one family meal each day.

I. Introduction

A. Close your eyes and picture the ideal Family Dinner. Mom is smiling as she serves everyone; dad is in his place at the head of the table happily anticipating a delicious meal. The napkins are linen, the children are scrubbed, steam rises from the meatloaf and vegetables, and even the dog is behaving by lying quietly under the table in the hope of receiving stealthy bites of food. This is where the household comes to share wisdom, discuss the ups and downs of their day, and to confess, conspire, forgive, or repair.

B. Is this what dinner is like at your house? When is the last time your family shared a meal together with no distractions? Or do you all eat at different times? Or maybe with the television blaring and all eyes focused on whatever program is on?

C. In a Harvard Study called "Feeding The Family" researchers found that family dinners were more important to children's language development than having parents who read to them or play with them.

Nutritionally, we tend to eat better when we eat as a family: there's a study from the University of Minnesota that states that when we eat together we eat more fruits and vegetables, drink less soda pop and eat less fat.

Another study from The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University sets forth a decade's worth of data. This study shows that older kids are more likely to need meal time with their families.

Researchers claim that family meals act like a kind of vaccine against drug and alcohol use. Teens feel more accountable when they're expected to sit down to a meal with their parents on a regular basis. And this time gives parents and opportunity to check in and see how their kids are doing.

C. During this speech I'd like to discuss some of the reasons that bringing the family back to the table is so important.

[Transition: Let's start by looking at what caused the decline of the family dinner.]

I. History

A. As new inventions were integrated into the American household, family time was often sacrificed for convenience and entertainment.

1. As more families brought televisions into their homes, meal times started being scheduled around favorite programs. The color TV was introduced in 1951 and by the end of the year 1.5 million televisions had been purchased.

2. The 1953 introduction of TV dinners led to families moving away from the table and into the living room to watch television while they ate. This led to a drastic drop in communication.

3. As times changed and people's schedules grew busier, family time dwindled and life began to center more on being busy every moment of the day.

a. In more and more households, both parents worked full time jobs

b. The continuous creation of convenience foods made meal creation and meal time a faster and more flexible part of the day. This led to family members often eating at different times.

[Now that we've seen what caused the disappearance of the family dinner let's look at the benefits of bringing this lost tradition back to our own families.]

II. There have been several studies and surveys done that look at the importance of family meals and how the decrease in family meals has affected households in the US.

1. A survey by Kentucky Fried Chicken reported that take-out food was used by more than a quarter (28%) of families for the evening meal once a week; 20% said they used carryout twice a week and 12% said three times a week. National Pork Producers Council's 2000 survey found that the meal preparer spends an average of 35 minutes fixing dinner and that about 30 minutes is spent