As Living Beings, we all love and crave food. Playing a pivotal role in providing energy to the body, food is also something that binds families, communities, cultures, states, and nations. The indigenous flavour of every local cuisine also represents the people and region to which it belongs. None but everything revolves around the universe of food. No one can deny the fact that ‘Food’ has always tasted better when eaten together with family and friends. Now, let’s do a quick evaluation of some of our daily food habits.

Do you like to go for dinner alone or do you prefer it with family or friends? Coffee has always tasted better when your partner or your friend has shared the table with you. At home too we find that families spend time with one another during meals. 

In the contemporary times, due to the busy schedule of parents as well as children getting engrossed in studies and other activities and with all the distractions around, the interaction between family members is becoming near to negligible. Amidst the pressure to meet deadlines, complete homework and to attend social functions the family time has been constantly shrinking.  This dinner time at home can be used by parents to spend quality time with their children. During the course of the day, make a point to have at least one meal together when the whole family sits around the dining table and have a meal together.

Many big decisions and planning have been presumably been done at the dining table. Sometimes dining table discussions have yielded more results than board room discussions. In families too, the dining table time or the dinner time can be used as a time for bonding of parents with kids.

By dinner time, I do not mean only the time when we actually eat the food, but also the time when the table is being laid. Ask your children to help out to prepare the table. Do not order them to do so. Say as, “Can you please lay down the mats?”  “Can you help me in bringing the plates for everyone?” The children also should see both the parents combining the work. It should not be that the mother has prepared the table, laid down the food and the father (which is seen in most families) and children just come out of their room to have food. This will be helpful for both our sons and daughters in understanding the lesson of equality. It will also prepare our sons in understanding that it is also his job to help in the daily chores of the household and to help his partner later in life. Alternately, it will instill in our daughters that it is not only her job to look after the household which many a times is thrust upon them making these gender bias roles

The dining table time can be used as a compounding factor. In the financial world compounding is considered as the eight wonder. You can invest small amounts in the form of SIPs and leave it there and over a period of time it can compound into a very large amount. Similarly in parent-child relationship you need to invest daily small amount of your time to indulge in conversation with your children or listen to them. The child does most of the talking and you just have to hear him/her attentively (not while fiddling with your phone).  Invest 15 minutes of your time while having dinner, away from digital distractions. Turn off the television, keep away your cell phones (Yes, do not worry. You can afford to keep away your phone that much time, you just not have tried it yet) and listen to them. Try this for 5 times a week, if not on all days. 15 x 5 minutes = 35 minutes a week totals to 35 x 52= 1820 minutes or 30.33 hours  a year, its less than 1 1/2 days. This is all you need.  Invest this time and trust me, my dear friends it will give you bigger returns than any share market or any mutual funds. If you can do it year on year and make it a ritual, no one will ever hear you say, “My kids do not tell me anything or my kids do not listen to me.”  15 minutes a day and a life time of bonding will be developed gradually.

When you lend ears to your children, it will also change your viewpoint. You get to learn to see the world from their perspective. You will become aware about their worries, troubles, happiness, goals, friends, achievements, fears etc. Eventually, you will know about their little triumphs and how they overcame with their setbacks. From the adult’s point of view, these may seem to be petty issues but when you these worries coming from them, you can realize that at their age it matters to them. Rather than waiting to celebrate their birthdays or looking forward to spend time with them on the next vacation, be a part of their daily struggles and wins. Believe me your kid will be much happier and gradually he/she will also learn to listen

So, dear friends next time you call out your children for dinner, be ready for the conversation. Your 15 minutes will do wonders in your parenting journey.