One of my favorite holidays is right around the corner…. Thanksgiving. I enjoy Thanksgiving for a number of reasons: food, family, football, reflecting on the things that I am thankful for in my life, etc., but perhaps the thing I enjoy most about Thanksgiving is the experience of sitting around the table talking and laughing with loved ones. The thought of that opportunity coming up next week reminded me of the many enjoyable conversations I had around the dinner table as a child, as well as the many enjoyable conversations I have had with my own children around the dinner table.
Research studies have shown how important it is to sit down at the dinner table for meals with our children because of the consistency and opportunities that are provided to relate to and connect with our children. One of the challenges that I have faced in doing this as a parent is sometimes not knowing what to actually talk about with my kids outside of the standard “how was school” type of questions! I found the following article helpful in that it reminded me that we can try to be creative in the conversations that we have with our children. Some things they might not be real interested in, but there will also be those moments when a topic or question really catches their attention and we end up having a great conversation with them. Good luck!
Mont Criddle, LMFT
No comments:
Post a Comment