Mom's World

National Family Day

Remember watching "Happy Days" or "Leave it to Beaver" when everyone sat around the family table to have dinner? Nowadays, many families resort to drive-throughs to get the kids fed. It seems everyone is in such a hurry! Today is National Family Day, which is a day that encourages families sit down and share dinner together. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse established National Family Day and found positive results when families sat and ate together. Researchers found that teens who eat dinner with their families five or more times a week have half the risk of substance abuse than those who eat with their families two or fewer times a week.

Local restaurants are trying to help support this cause by encouraging families to play games and engage in coversation at the dinner table. We went to Brookfields Restaurant on Folsom Blvd. in Rancho Cordova where they have new games they offer to families while they wait for their food at the table. The games stimulate conversation and all ages can play. I found myself wanting to continue to play the games rather than do the live shot that I was getting paid to do. Tonight, I'm cooking up Tri-Tip and my family will eat at the dining room table, minus the good china.