National Family Day!

Mark your calendars, the CASA National Family Day is coming soon. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) has declared Monday, September 26, 2011 as a National Family Day - A day to eat dinner with your children. CASA has been conducting studies on the effects of eating meals together since 2003. Each report has concluded with generally the same findings - eating dinner with your children at a dinner table decreases risky childhood behavior (i.e. alcohol and drug experimentation). Below is a quick recap of some of the most recent findings in their September 2011 report.

• Only 58% of teens report having dinner (at least five times a week) with their families. In their September 2010 report they found that 72% of teens thought frequent family dinners were important.
• 54% of those who had family dinners reported that the best part of having meals with their families was the opportunity to "share/catch up/talk/interact/conversation".
• Compared to teens who have frequent family dinners (five to seven per week), those who have infrequent family dinners (fewer than three per week) are: 
• four times more likely to use tobacco;
• twice as likely to use alcohol;
• two-and-a-half times more likely to use marijuana.
• Teens who have five to seven family meals together are:
• one-and-a-half times more likely to report having an excellent relationship with their mother;
• twice as likely to report having an excellent relationship with their father; 
• twice as likely to report having an excellent relationship with their sibling(s).
• Lastly, 44% of teens that had five or more family meals together reported regular religious observance (considered at least 4 religious meetings per month).

Considering all of the great benefits that come about through regular family meals together, join CASA and thousands of other households across America on Monday, September 26 by holding a family meal together. 

Important reminders about the family meal:

• Should include all family members that are able to attend.
• No TV, Cell Phones, or other electronics should be on during the meal time.
• No parental nagging is allowed. Just use the time to get to know your children.
• Most of all, you should all be sitting together around a table of some sort. 

Here is a video from CASA advertising the National Family Day