Despite the worldwide pandemic that swept the world in 2019 being instrumental in bringing families closer together, recent research from Mintel reveals that only 68% of families eat simultaneously.
In times past, eating together was a tradition for families to catch up, connect, and communicate. However, it is slowly becoming more popular for families to dine apart due to the rapidly changing needs of modern-day families.
Between juggling a fanatic work/school schedule and activities outside of work/school, there are many reasons why this once-tradition is becoming less and less popular. But why? From not all being home at dinner time to not having enough space, we list several reasons why families aren’t eating together anymore below:
Lack Of Space
Sometimes families don’t share mealtimes for any fault of their own; sometimes, it’s due to the lack of space in their dining rooms. In an ideal world, our homes would have all the space we’d desire, yet this isn’t always possible, putting a strain on our daily routines like mealtimes.
However, just because something is smaller doesn’t mean you can’t develop creative ways to overcome the challenges your smaller dining room may present. Whether you invest in nesting coffee tables that can be stacked on top of one another when not in use or you purchase dining tables which can be extended when needed, there are various ways to make the best use of your dining room.
For more inspiration, consider looking at the range of space-saving dining tables from Furniture Village. From kitchen and bar tables to round dining tables, consider visiting their website to browse their entire catalogue and see how their products could help restore this tradition in your family.
Not All Home At Mealtimes
One of the main reasons why families aren’t eating together anymore is that not all members are home at mealtimes. Whether your partner works nightshifts or your children have football practice after school, most modern-day families don’t return home from work/school at the same time, which has an outward effect on mealtimes.
Although the ideal mealtime often fluctuates between families, new research suggests that the optimum mealtime is 5 pm. It helps us maintain a healthy weight, prevent overeating, and keep us fuller for longer. Yet, with many of our family working beyond this time, it can be not easy to adhere to these mealtimes when not all of us are around, making it easier to fend for ourselves.
We Want Mealtimes To Be Special
Because the chance to sit down and eat dinner together as a family is so rare when we do get the opportunity to do it, it’s often considered to be a memorable affair. Or it’s usually because a holiday like Christmas, Easter, etc., has brought us all together.
Due to this, if we were to sit down together each night for a family meal, it would lose the significance that other occasions have and could even lead to us getting bored of mealtimes. Doing it occasionally reinforces why we get together as a family and makes us appreciate when we do more instead of taking it for granted.
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