by Inês Sofia Carvalho
As a college student my schedule is as unpredictable as I have ever seen because of all the group study meetings and extra hours on the University to finish a group work. All of this shortens my time to be at home with my family. My parents spend most of their day at work so as my brother does at school so the only time we have to actually be together is at dinnertime.
However, not all Portuguese families dedicate this meal to family time as the most common excuses would be “my parents work late” or “I’m too busy”, amongst others that we have probably used before. According to PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment), an OECD programme, students who don’t usually eat with their families are most likely to be a truant at school. It is widely known that children whose family dedicates their time to them tend to be better students. Usually, a family that occupies their time to having a meal all together may also have the time to dedicate to their children’s school concerns, such as studying together or helping with homework and/or projects.
Not being able to enjoy some quality time over dinner with your family has some negative effects as I have mentioned before and as there are reasons why families don’t eat together, finding therefore alternatives to replace these habits. The most common one is the fast food option when we go out to eat. Apart from fast food there are other types of meals but this one is mainly important for the amounts of fat, salt and calories that go over the top when compared to homemade meals.
To sum it up, it is important to have family meals together during the week because it helps children to be better at school and to build their character positively. Apart from this, one can also mention that food that is cooked at home tends to be healthier than food we buy in restaurants. Studies on these topics are published almost daily, proving once again the importance of a family sitting together at a table to enjoy some food.
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