The Family Meal

Pleasantville is one of my favorite movies. Two modern American teenagers are sucked into their television set and end up living in a black-and-white fifties sitcom. One of my favorite scenes is the morning breakfast. Mom wears pearls, high heels, and a pretty dress as she cooks a "nourishing" breakfast of blueberry pancakes, waffles, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and ham steak. You see the disgust of the modern teenager as she realizes what meals are like for the “traditional fifties family.”
While the scene is satirical of the 1950s family, I always remember thinking one of the aspects of the classic American Dream was the family who gathered around the table for their meal. Realizing I have not had a single meal with my husband this week due to our busy schedules, I decided to find out how attainable the family dinner was.
I surveyed some of my classes this week and 35 out of 91 students eat dinner with their family at least three times a week. One of my students, Chrissy, explained a bit about her parents’ dream.
“We have to eat dinner together; we don’t get a choice.” Her parents made a rule requiring all five of them to sit down to dinner every night. They have to eat at their kitchen table and are not allowed to text, watch TV, or leave early. “My parents believe strongly in family time. Sometimes it is ok, but sometimes it is annoying.” Chrissy told me it is not always easy to get all of the family together. Her mom took a new job a few months ago and has longer hours. The family pushed dinner one hour later rather than amend their rule. I asked her if she would have a rule like that if she ever had kids. “Probably…yeah. Even though I hate it at times, it has meaning. I talk to my parents more because of it.”
While I think the concept is great, I would not consider this aspect of the American Dream attainable for everyone. Having two working parents and very few nine to five jobs would make it difficult for many families to eat at the same time. According to the Employment Policy Foundation's Center for Work and Family Balance, in 1940, 66 percent of working households consisted of single-earner married couples. By 2000, that percentage had dropped to less than 25 percent. By 2030, the center estimates, a mere 17 percent of households will conform to the traditional "Ozzie and Harriet" model. In addition to working parents, many children have activities, homework, or social engagements that can make family time difficult.
I think the family meal may not be completely attainable, but it is something that should be strived for. Having parents and children talk to each other and build stronger relationships is beneficial. Family involvement is crucial to a child’s development and meal times, like Chrissy’s family has, are a great way to achieve it. An ABC News story, Family Dinner Linked to Better Grades for Teens, found “teens having family dinners five or more times a week were 42 percent less likely to drink alcohol, 59 percent less likely to smoke cigarettes, and 66 percent less likely to try marijuana.”
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Health/story?id=1123055&page=1
When I have children, I hope I will achieve the American Dream of the family dinner the way Chrissy’s family has. For now, I will settle for getting to eat with my husband this weekend and watching the movie, Pleasantville.