Family Bonding at Dinnertime

My granddaughter came into my room this evening while still chewing on a piece of meat from her dinner. She is allowed to roam around the house as she eats her dinner, and her parents are usually watching TV while they eat. My granddaughter is at the table (some of the time), and her parents are on the couch.

It used to bother me until I remembered that I was raised in the TV dinner era, and my brother, sister, and I always sat at the foot of my mother's bed and ate dinner from TV trays while watching Gilligan's Island. My mother may or may not have eaten with us. We all grew up emotionally stable (I think), but according to this video, eating together is an essential element of family bonding and contributes greatly to a child's success in school and in life.


Children & Learning:
Family Meals Are Hugely Important

Dealing with the Santa Dilemma

I was reading an article this morning about the Santa dilemma; should you tell your children the truth or not?  The article suggested that allowing a child to believe in Santa is a "rite of passage," and that they'll find out the truth soon enough from other children.. In other words, don't burst their bubble.

I had a conversation on a similar topic with a colleague last Friday.  Her older child doesn't believe in Santa anymore and wants to inform his younger siblings.  She asked for my advice since my daughter is now grown, and I can share the outcome of my decisions with her.