Lately, as a family we have not been eating dinner together as much.  We used to eat together most every night except when the three oldest were with their dad.  The teenagers (twin 16 year olds) either have friends over at this time and are not interested in dinner or they are at there friends house.  We have Delaney our 12 year old for dinner more often than the Lauren & Austin.
Recent surveys say that families with teenagers that eat together get better grades, less likely to try cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs.  It is my perception that the teenagers that have scheduled family dinners have three obvious things other kids do not. One, teenagers who eat dinner with their family have parents that are home at dinner time, not working late.  Two, they have parents who are engaged in their kids lives. They know the kids friends and maybe even their parents.  Three, the parents are in charge of the home, and are not controlled by their children. They are not their kids friends they are the parents.
Now, I have just convinced myself the importance of making it a point to eat together as a family more often. Not that the dinner makes us a family. Rather it is a way to connect at a deeper level as a family. We need to laugh together and have disagreements, to learn how to have safe healthy relationships. This is the preparation for the future America.