The Importance of the Family Dinner Table.

1950:
Imagine a typical evening in 1950. Mom has been busy all afternoon preparing a delicious meal—meatloaf with all the fixings. She sets the table with a sparkle in her eye, excited to gather her family. The front door opens, and Dad walks in from work, tired but happy to be home. Their three kids rush to help set the table, eyes wide at the food their mom has made.

The family sits down together and says grace. As plates are passed around, conversation begins. Dad shares a funny story from the office, bringing laughter to the table. The kids eagerly tell about their day at school, and Mom talks about a new recipe she’s experimenting with for mac and cheese. Everyone shares their struggles and triumphs of the day. For those 20 minutes, the family is truly together—bonding, connecting, and building memories.

2025:
Now picture a family of five in 2025. It’s dinner time, but the atmosphere is different. The kids are scattered in their rooms, each glued to their phones. The parents, exhausted from their busy day, order fast food. When the food arrives, everyone gathers around their screens, not the table.

No one talks. No one asks about each other’s day. There is no laughter or stories shared. Each family member is alone in their own world, separated by walls and a screen. The dinner table exists, but it’s no longer a place of fellowship—it’s just a place where food is eaten. The family is under the same roof, but they are strangers in many ways.

There are so many differences so that why today, I will be talking about the importance of the family dinner table.

1. It Connects the Family

There is nothing like a family dinner to talk about the day. It naturally draws the family closer and together. Its a 20 minute time where there is no phone. No job or movie or just being busy. Its just people. Your family. And it becomes a time where you can talk, share problems or blessings and most importantly, being together.

Now when I say being together, I don't mean under the same roof. And I don't mean watching a movie either. I mean just simply sitting down and talking.

Multiple studies from CASA and Public Health, and FAMILY FOREVER conclude that kids that had family dinners together improved in these areas:

A. Had a stronger family bond

B. Better academic performance

C. Less anxiety, and  depression

D. Reduced risk of partaking in Drugs, Liquor, and immoral activity.

This time is more valuable than you think.

In a study done by Princeton, 31 percent of adults when asked about what was the thing that bonded them to their family the most, answered the family meals.

2. It Strengthens the Family

This time allows for a couple of things. 

First a time of praise. Usually when my family eats meals together, we go around and share a blessing from the day. 

Second it can be a time where kids can talk about their day and ask questions. This allows for the parents to spend more time with their kids and learn more about them.

This time also bonds the family.

There is nothing the devil could love more than a disconnected family. A family is supposed to be a spiritual help to each other and the devil wants to ruin the nuclear family. One of the ways he does this is by breaking up family dinners.

Think about this. If your family spent 20 minutes around the table for dinner every day, that family would of spent 7,300 minutes together in 1 year. Imagine how connected that family would be. If that family did that with their kid till he graduated, they would of spent 131,400 minutes with their kid. Imagine the relationship there.

So maybe you could understand why the devil wants to break that apart.

So today, where we live in a world of technology, don't let that technology ruin a special time with your family that you can have every day!