Families who regularly share meals together tend to have children who have higher self-esteem, more resilience in the face of problems, and better interactions with their peers.
In addition, families who openly discuss emotions associated with traumatic events tend to have children with more self-esteem and a stronger sense of control.
These findings are the result of a three-year study of 40 families with pre-adolescent children. These families tape recorded their dinnertime conversations, and answered questions allowing researchers to measure how well the families functioned.
Knowing about family history also proved to be a particularly important factor in children's development. The way that families talked about events was also critical; children benefit when parents listen to them and validate their words and feelings.
