Family meals matter for teens’ safety, social skills, and health. Don’t let not knowing what to cook keep you from sharing a family meal with your teen.
Be an eParent®! Spend time together as a family, start a family Pinterest board of recipes and use one to make a meal together and spend time with your teen. Another idea is to start creating a family cookbook of those favorite family recipes.
Even though peers are increasingly important for teens, time with parents still matters to teens and makes them feel safe and secure. Planning regular, shared family meals is a great way to spend time with your teen. Teens who participate in family meals several times per week are less likely to engage in risky behaviors such as using drugs or drinking alcohol. They also talk more with their parents so parents know more about what is going on in their teen’s life. As a bonus, if you cook with your tween he or she will be better prepared for cooking solo!
You can read more about planning family meals and encouraging good meal conversations:
- Table Talk with Teens and Preteens (This article is on a UW-Extension website for parents of 10-16 year olds called Parenthetical)
- University of MN Family Meals
- The Family Dinner Project is a great place to get started. The family dinner
To learn more contact UW-Extension Family Living Programs or like Family Living on Facebook.