In a few short weeks, many of us will be flocking home to celebrate Thanksgiving with our family and closest friends. It is a time to enjoy each other’s company and be thankful for all that we have.

Unfortunately, the holidays are also one of the few times that families are actually able to sit down and enjoy a meal together. Sit-down family dinners are becoming a habit that is slowly going extinct among families.

It is very easy to get caught up in life’s hectic schedule, so when we are with our families, we don’t actually sit down and eat together. As we get older, our schedules become much busier and dinnertime is whenever we are able to take a break, no matter what time it is. By having an actual sit-down meal with our family, when possible, we are provided with many benefits.

An obvious advantage to family meals is that it helps build effective communication between the members of our family. During the meal, you aren’t just eating; you are also having a conversation with the people at the table. Topics can be as simple as telling how your day was to asking advice. It is time to have fun, so topics should remain light-hearted and not lectures.

It is also an excellent way for the members of the family to bond with each other. It gives us a sense of belonging and identity among our family. By building this bond at the dinner table, it allows communication between the members of the family much easier.

Eating together provides many educational situations. Young children learn the importance of good manners. The importance of “please” and “thank you” are stressed at a young age when eating together. Manners are a skill that carries on throughout the rest of one’s life.

It is also teaches people how to prepare and serve meals. From a young age, children are taught how to set a table, pour drinks and even serve the food, when they become old enough.

By spending time in the kitchen with our family, we are able to learn some of the basic skills required to be living on our own. Most of our values come from our parents passing them down to us. Sharing a meal is an excellent time to establish these values and beliefs.

There are also nutritional advantages when we take the time to eat with our families. Most of family meals are home cooked which is a health advantage in itself. Often, these meals have a much lower fat content than going out to dinner or making a frozen food item. Because parents want their children to eat healthy, the meals are prepared with a healthy balance of fruits and vegetables. According to an article by North Dakota State, by developing these habits early on, children are more unlikely to be obese than those who did not have regular family meals.

By taking the time out of busy schedules to have a relaxed meal allows us to not overeat. When we actually take the time to eat and enjoy our food, we are able to recognize when we are truly full. When we scarf down our lunch in 10 minutes to make it to class, we tend to overeat. Our bodies don’t have the time to let us know that we are full. When we eat slowly, like at a sit down meal, we are able to recognize our body telling us to stop eating.

It might seem difficult to be able to sit down every time that we eat with our families, due to everyone’s different schedules. All of these benefits can happen even if families only sit down together twice a week. By building the tradition of eating together, we are put into that habit when we have our own families in the future.

By sitting down together for a family meal, we get to have a chance to take a break from the distractions of everyday life. It is one of the few times that we are able to completely focus on conversation without the interference of cellphones and television.

As college students, we are away from our families, and we don’t go home every night to sit down with our families for dinner. But when we are home, it is important to have a sit down meal with our families, even if it is only for a short amount of time.

As we travel home for the holidays, take into account what real benefits you are receiving when dining with your family. That, in itself, is something to truly be thankful for.