Our kids were raised in chaos. Family meals and good nutrition are generally not a way of life when you live in an abusive or neglectful home.

Family meals are more than just eating together. They are a time to share the day’s events, establish unity and teach your children the importance of nutrition and healthy eating habits.

This is something that I consider a must for our family. There are days when it is not possible. If you’re running to ballet lessons, little league practice, music lessons or whatever extracurricular activities you and your family may have, sitting at the kitchen table to a nutritious meal may be more than is feasible. There’s nothing wrong with having the family meal at a restaurant, even a fast food restaurant. Fortunately, most fast food restaurants now offer healthier choices on their menus.

For our kids, routine and structure can be very comforting things. The simple act of sitting down to a meal together can be the beginning of that routine.

For kids that have been through neglect, lack of food was likely an issue for them. Consistently having meals together can begin to help your child believe that there will always be food provided and that scrounging for food is not a necessity in your home. It will not be an easy thing, and it will probably take several months, but it’s a start.

Some of our kids ate whatever they could get their hands on. Nutrition was not a lesson they learned. If chips and cookies were what were available, that’s what they ate. Teaching children proper nutrition will be a difficult task. Children learn by what they see. Seeing you eat a nutritious meal will be a building block toward these healthy habits. Children usually don’t want to try foods that they haven’t had before. The “normal” kid foods like pizza, macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets and other foods are probably safe bets, but adding something healthy along with those can be a gradual start toward healthy eating patterns in your child.

Another issue surrounding food is that our kids did not always learn portion control. They ate what they could get, while they could get it. Teaching children to learn when their bodies are saying that they are full is a difficult concept, but what that is necessary both for your child’s health and for children with food hoarding issues.

Sit down a family meal together as many times as possible and begin to teach your children some of these valuable lessons, and build family unity and togetherness. It will pay off in the long run.



Photo credit - Kelly L. Killian