White Dog
and The White Dog Army
Wonderful
World Wednesday
White Dog
and the rest of the White Dog Army have been very focused on eating and
mealtimes for the past couple of weeks. A critical measure of Nuka’s recovery
from a severe bout of pancreatitis is her return to normal eating and drinking.
While we are still not quite there, Another White Dog appears to FINALLY be at
a point where she has a growing appetite and a desire for a normal eating
routine. Today we all cheered as she ate both breakfast and dinner (only a
slightly modified version of the regular menu), as well as mid day treats…and
drank lots of water.
But the WDA
knows that mealtime is important for another reason…the reason that we insist
(except on Steve’s late nights) on eating each evening meal as a family…mealtimes
are bonding times. We believe that over the course of dining that all the
members of the family get a chance to be heard and connect. Michael joins us, too, even though he now
prepares his own meal. It is a time of sharing and is a vital reaffirmation
that each of us has a voice and value in this pack. Dinner is the period each
day when we are all joined together and feel the strength of our unity. It is a
reminder of how much we have for which to be thankful and of just how wonderful
the world truly is.
And now we
find that family dinner time makes us healthier and happier as well. Imagine a world where families around the
globe sit down together every evening and increase their happiness just by having supper…wonderful, right?
By Good
News Network Tuesday, April 09, 2013
Regular family suppers contribute to good mental health in
adolescents, according to a study co-authored by McGill University professor
Frank Elgar. Despite the fact that teens may squirm under the barrage of
parental questioning, there are benefits to these family meals -- regardless of
whether or not they can easily talk to their parents.
“More frequent family dinners related to fewer emotional and
behavioral problems, greater emotional well-being, more trusting and helpful
behaviors towards others and higher life satisfaction,” says Elgar, an
associate professor in the Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry,
whose research centers on social inequalities in health and family influences
on child mental health.
Using a national sample of 26,069 adolescents aged 11 to 15
years, the study examined the relation between frequency of family dinners and
positive and negative aspects of mental health. The researchers found the same
positive effects of family meal time on the mental health of the young subjects,
regardless of gender, age or family affluence.
“We were surprised to find such consistent effects on every
outcome we studied,” says Elgar. “From having no dinners together to eating
together 7 nights a week, each additional dinner related to significantly
better mental health.”
During the study, the adolescents submitted data on the
weekly frequency of family dinners, ease of parent-adolescent communication and
five dimensions of mental health, including internalizing and externalizing
problems, emotional well-being, more helpful behaviors and life satisfaction.
The authors suggest that family mealtimes are opportunities
for open family interactions which present teaching opportunities for parents
to shape coping and positive health behaviors such as good nutritional choices,
as well as enable adolescents to express concerns and feel valued, all elements
that are conducive to good mental health in adolescents.
The results of this research are published in the Journal of
Adolescent Health. The Canadian Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children study
was part of a World Health Organization collaboration of 43 countries and was
funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada.
(Source: Mcgill
University in Quebec)
8 comments:
We totally agree! Family dinners are a MUST! That is what is missing in so many homes these days! Hope everyone is feeling better! Xoxo Chloe and LadyBug
Wouldn't it be great if all families could get together for at least one meal. But you just don't see that happen very often in this day and age. Everyone seems to always be in a hurry for one thing or another.
Glad to hear that Nuka is getting better day by day.
Yes a must I think too. Time to see what's happened in each others day and to just love being together. So glad to hear that Nuka is improving.. Hugs GJ xx
So very happy to hear that Nuka is doing so much better. We agree on the family meals and so does Stella. Her first meal here, was left in the kitchen for her to eat, and I took mine to the livingroom to watch the news. The next thing I knew I looked down and there she was, next to me, with her bowl of food, chomping away! So sweet, what could I say?
Cheers,
Jo, Stella and Zkhat
Keep doing good aweet Nuka! Yep, family meals and family time is the best!
We sure hope you keep making that good progress, sweet Nuka.
We agree, mealtimes are such a great time to catch up and reconnect each day. :)
Hugs!
Back to the dinner table for all. We agree and we are there with our plates in our hands and paws!
Wyatt and Family
I'm so happy to hear the good news about Nuka. I'm glad that everyone is eating well and happy.
My family always had dinner together - I remember the nightly "May I please be excused?" as a teenager. I'm sure that it was good for me but I wasn't always enthusiastic! We always have dinner together now.
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