家庭围餐的力量

It’s hard for me to forget about dinner. My thirteen year-old daughter, Alyssa, poses the

same question daily. “What are we having for dinner?” she asks, usually in the early afternoon. Her inquiry makes me think, because I can tell that the answer is important to her. After I tell her what’s on the evening menu, she goes about her day with calm assurance. It’s as if looking forward to dinner makes the rest of the day go smoother for Alyssa. Talking to Janet Peterson, author of the book,

Remedies For the “I Don’t Cook Syndrome,” I’ve

discovered that Alyssa isn’t alone in anticipating

her evening meal. Peterson says, “Eating dinner

together regularly provides more than good

nutrition; it enables family members to share their

days with each other, relax, laugh, discuss social

issues and strengthen family relationships.”

Why should we eat together?

1. Family bonding. Eating a family meal creates

an environment that 1)fosters family conversation.

2. Eating at home saves money. “Restaurants

are in the business to make money,” says

Peterson. “Their labors, real estate and 2)profit

margin all cost. If they don’t make money, they

don’t stay in business.”

要我忘记晚餐这件事情非常困难。我

那13岁大的女儿艾丽莎每天都会问我同一个问题：“今天晚餐吃什么？”通常，才刚到下午她就会这么问。她这么一问让我得好好去想，因为我听得出答案对她很重要。听了我的晚餐菜单之后，她一整天都会怡然淡定。仿佛对晚餐的期待会让艾丽莎一天接下来的时间都事事顺利。

珍妮特·皮特森是《拯救“不做饭症候群”》一书的作者。和她交谈时，我发现艾丽莎并非唯一如此期待晚餐的人。皮特森说：“定期进行家庭围餐提供的益处远胜于良好的营养；它让各个家庭成员能彼此分享一天的见闻、放松身心、开怀大笑、讨论社会问题，还能巩固家庭关系。”

为什么要围餐？

1、建立亲密的家庭纽带。家庭围餐能创造出一个共叙天伦的环境。

2、在家吃饭省钱。皮特森说：“餐馆是做生意赚钱的。雇员薪金、店铺租金、利润都是钱。如果他们不赚钱，他们也无法继续营业。”

5. Keep the meals simple. Elaborate meals are not necessary for quality family time. To save time and effort, keep the meals simple and easy to prepare. Save the elaborate menus for rarer occasions when you have time to prepare them.

6. Involve family members in meal preparation. Peterson explains that some children may be old enough to fix meals by themselves, and most children can assist in meal preparation. By helping in the kitchen, children learn what it takes to make a meal. They also learn that it’s a priority in the family.

7. Turn off the television, let the machine get the phone. Make sure dinnertime belongs only to you by letting the answering machine take phone calls, turning off the television, and putting away the newspaper. If your family usually watches TV during dinner, begin with one or two meals with the TV off, and gradually increase the number as time goes on.

8. Keep an 6)upbeat atmosphere. Make dinnertime enjoyable with positive conversation, expressions of love, and moments of laughter. It’s a time to connect with each other. Don’t use dinnertime to resolve problems or to remind children of assignments.

9. Teach by example. Begin early as 7)newlyweds and then later with young children to have regular, nutritious, and pleasant meals together, so that dinner is an expected part of the family routine. Have a weekly planning meeting that includes putting dinner on the schedule.

View dinnertime as a precious time to talk together, to reinforce family values, to discuss issues, and to express love to each other.

5、简简单单就好。享受家庭美好时光不一定要劳师动众炮制满桌佳肴。节省时间和精力，保持晚饭精简易做。日后有充足时间且机会难得时再用上这些繁复讲究的菜单吧。

6、和家人一起做饭。皮特森解释说，一些孩子可能已经足够大，可以自己做饭了，而大多数孩子在做饭时都能打下手。孩子们通过在厨房里帮忙学习怎样才能做出一顿饭菜，也能认识到这是家庭的首要事情。

7、关掉电视，开启语音留言。确保用餐时间完全属于你们，让电话答录机接收电话，关掉电视，把报纸放一边。如果你家通常边吃饭边看电视，试着一两次用餐时关掉电视，然后逐渐增加关电视吃饭的次数。

8、保持愉悦的用餐氛围。通过积极的谈话、表达爱意和欢声笑语来营造用餐时轻松愉快的氛围。这是与彼此交心的时间。不要在用餐时解决问题或者提醒孩子做作业。

9、身体力行。新婚燕尔时就开始家庭围餐，有了下一代之后与孩子们一起享用有规律的、富有营养又快乐的膳食，让围餐成为家庭惯例中让人期待的一部分。每周开一次计划会议，将围餐列入议程。

把用餐时间视为珍贵的家庭时光，可以谈天说地、强化家庭价值观念、讨论问题，也可以表达对彼此的关爱。