Goal: Finding time for dinners together
Although Sally cooked nutritious food every night, her family had trouble finding time to eat together. With one son in college, teenage twins who played evening sports, and a husband whose middle name was “late,” everyone was always on the go. When the family did eat together, meals could feel rushed and tense. By joining The Family Dinner Project, Sally wanted to help her family have more relaxed, regularly scheduled meals.

Progress: Making dinner a priority
Although they had to reschedule some of their activities, by the end of their participation in The Family Dinner Project, Sally’s family was eating meals together three times a week. Remarkably, her kids began to help during dinner, pitching in to set the table or make food. By using a couple of the conversation starters on the website, they learned things about each other that they didn’t know before – the twins were really surprised that their older brother had dreamed of becoming a pilot when he grew up! Although it took a little effort, the family succeeded at making more time for quality dinners together.

In their words:
Sally felt that participating in The Family Dinner Project “makes you think about how important it is to be together and how we need to make the effort and do it more often – even if it means rescheduling something or just not doing something. I actually credit my older son, Jared, for getting us involved in this and showing us how important family is, especially since our extended family is 250 miles away. I hope this makes a lasting impression and impact on my three kids.”