Grand Magazine - September/October 2008 - (Page 44)

Books for thanks: Saying Grace: Blessings for the Family Table, Sarah McElwain, editor (Chronicle Books) A Grateful Heart: Daily Blessings for the Evening Meal from Buddha to the Beatles, M.J. Ryan, editor (Conari Press) their child’s friends. “In the office, I’ve seen some parents who were so disconnected from their kids that they weren’t taking any time with that kid,” says nurse practitioner Nancy Eschenberg, who’s spent her career in family practice in upstate New York. These children, says the NCASA study, are less likely to receive A’s or B’s on their schoolwork, and more likely to experiment with cigarettes, alcohol or drugs. Kids who are under pressure from their peers need an outlet to talk about it. Family dinners, with everyone engaged, eating, and enjoying each other’s company, provide that outlet. In the comfy confines of the family circle, children have a no- or low-pressure environment to hash out their concerns. “It’s a time to say, ‘How’s it going? How was your day?’” Eisenberg explains, “a time to relay family values, act as role models.” Ask a child wandering through the kitchen with a cup of instant soup what they did today, and you’ll get one of two answers: “I dunno” or “Nothing!” They shrug and continue out of the room, off to the waiting game console or computer. Now ask the same kid sitting over a steaming plate of mac and cheese what they did today, and you’ve got a captive audience. Kids do plenty during the day, and they will tell you about it—if the opportunity presents itself. And if that opportunity is at a family dinner, the research shows they’ll probably share more than the blow-by-blow of their science class lecture. And what mealtime does for family values is, well, invaluable. Children crave attention, and family dinners provide the face time that fuels their natural desire to share. Kids who get attention on a regular basis around the table become more comfortable with themselves, and it shows. It shows in CJ Zane. Janet and David Will devote their weekends to their 3-year-old grandson, who sleeps over as often as three times a month. On Thursdays, when her abbreviated work week is over, Janet drives more than an hour from her New York home to collect CJ from his parents. Every morning during CJ’s visits, Janet, David and CJ eat breakfast together, and every evening they gather for dinner. “CJ has a routine,” Janet explains. “He knows he gets his highchair without the tray. He has his own napkin. He has his own cup, plates and silverware.” A shy toddler, CJ comes out of his shell at dinnertime, pointing out the window to birds flitting past or asking Oma Janet for more juice. “He eats a lot better,” Janet notices. “At home, they don’t do family dinners, and if he doesn’t feel like eating, he just gets up and walks away. Here he may be more willing to try things he wouldn’t normally eat, like kielbasa or squash.” With healthy options spread out on the table, they’re preparing him for a life of healthy eating. That’s where research has associated the family meal with the fight against obesity—results have found that family dinners dramatically decrease the chance a child will become one of the more than 30 percent of American children who are overweight or obese. A 2005 Harvard Medical that encourage participation from most age groups include common interests: from soccer, tennis or basketball to singing, dancing or bicycle riding; favorite meals and menu planning for next week’s dinners; books or articles we’re each reading; and, one of my favorites, hypothetical time travel. important, component to memorable dinner times is the food itself. Choosing food that both children and grandparents like can be a challenge. Pizza and salad make a good, balanced meal. Many stores or pizza places sell pizza dough, and most kids love to build their own slices, 44 GRAND SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2008 Other conversational pieces using whatever you say is up for grabs in the refrigerator or pantry. The same thing can be done for building burgers or quesadillas and for making salads. The more involved the kids are in the creative process, the more they enjoy eating what they helped create. Roasted turkey (or chicken) drumsticks are a favorite around our house because they’re fun to eat. Broiling or sautéing any tender cuts of meat, fish or poultry is easy and quick. It’s simple to bake a white or sweet potato, half a small winter squash (serve with maple syrup and watch it disappear!), corn on the cob, or steamed rice or couscous misted with a bit of butter and salt. Keep it simple and healthy. An important, but not the most

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Grand Magazine - September/October 2008

Grand Magazine- September/October 2008 Grand View:�Priceless Contents Isn't it Grand?: Picture Perfect Winners!: GRANDparent of the Year Grand Central Toddler Town:�Grand-proofing Ask Grand:�Two Tired Tips on Teens: The Bar Mitzvah Trips Just So We Know:�BPA Not Our BFF Full House-Full Heart-Full Time:�Confessions of a Backyard Grand Grandbloggers: It Takes a Village Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? Family + Food = Fun On the Cover: Nora Roberts A Fine Romance Everything Was Fine Until You Showed Up Happy Big Sister Day Looking Grand:�Elementary, My Dear All in the Family:�Pasta, Present and Future Reunions:�Doubleheader Inspirations:�Grandpa's Violin Grand Bazaar More to the Story Grand Finale:�Long Ago Under the Sun

Grand Magazine - September/October 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.