Aman 1

Family Meals
Milk!
Nothing.
Rebecca, MILK!!!!
Once Rebecca stops staring off into space, she plops the milk a foot in front of me.
Thanks.
Once we finish our cheerios, with milk, Rebecca and I make tea, and Andrew starts to put
on his shoes. This is a process. First, Andrew has to put on his socks. Normally after about one
sock is on, he starts giving Nevsky a belly rub.
Andrew, we need to leave soon!
Okay, okay, Andrew replies, but he still stops to pat Nevsky after two socks and one
shoe are on.
~
Were having meatloaf? Again? Lisa asks.
Yes, and you will clean your plate, her mom Alice, my granny, responds.
Ughhhhhhh, Nancy and Tim chime in.
Once everyone sits down at the dinner table, Lisa makes eye contact with Nancy. After a
slight nod, she slips her hand, filled with meatloaf, under the table when her mom looks away.
Lisa and Tim follow, one at a time.
The dog, Peti, enjoys the meatloaf much more than Nancy, Lisa, or Tim.
~
Oh my goshI was talking to Big today and I start.
Same! Andrew pipes up.

Aman 2
Hes so funnyin class today Rebecca begins.
Wait, me first! I said it first; you interrupted me! I say.
Fine.
Fine.
I stop eating my dinner- feta cheese and bacon rolled in chicken with raspberry sauce, my
favorite- to tell my story.
He came into the think tank (we were eating lunch there), and we started talking about
the election, obviously. He said it would be funny if Trump wins because there would be a bunch
of illegal immigrants in Canada! And then I said, maybe he would build another wall!
Everyone laughs, but not as hard as I do every time I tell a story.
~
The Family Dinner Project is an organization dedicated to educating families on the
benefits of eating meals together. Led by Dr. Anne K. Fishel, the organization bases their goal off
of scientific research. Along with allowing families to reconnect after a long day, studies have
shown that regular family dinners are linked to lower rates of substance abuse, teen pregnancy
and depression, [and] higher grade-point averages and self-esteem. Additionally, dinner
conversation is a more potent vocabulary-booster than reading, and the stories told around the
kitchen table helpbuild resilience. Lastly, family meals can lower the rates of obesity and
eating disorders in children and adolescence (The Family Dinner Project).
~
Dad, I dont want to eat another microwave meal! Can you pleasssse make dinner? I
ask.
Fine. Ill make the P dinner, he replies.

Aman 3
The P dinner, aptly named, consists of Pizza, Peas, and Pears. Its about the only dinner
my dad can make, but Id take that anytime over cereal, his usual dinner suggestion after
microwave pizzas or frozen bagels when my mom is out at a meeting.
We all sit down about a half hour later, minus my mom, and chat about our days in
between slurps of canned pears and bites of peas and pizza.
~
Ding-dong! Ding-dong! The doorbell sounds, similar to the Big Ben but a thousand times
smaller.
George, my grandfather, gets up from the dinner table and answers the door.
Excuse me, township commissioner, an unknown citizen of Wayne, Pennsylvania, says.
Yes, what would you like to speak to me about? George answers.
Well, I was wondering if you could put a stop sign on my street.
Ill look into it.
Thank you. Sorry to interrupt your dinner!
George heads back to the dinner table to sit with his wife, Ellen, and his kids, Peter,
James, and Katherine. As soon as he sits down to discuss his day with them, he feels a slight tug
on his lap.
Raquette!
That dog needs to stop taking napkins! Ellen says.
Oh well, well let him have this one, George says.
~
Did you save me any potato skins? I ask, keys jangling as I walk in at about 8:53 pm,
arms aching and legs chalky.

Aman 4
Well Nevsky jumped up on the table, and he decided that he wanted a potato skin. But
not the whole thing- he only ate the cheese and bacon! my mom replies.
I laugh but am disappointed when I have only one measly potato skin to eat with my
green beans and burger. Oh well, I think, at least Nevsky is happy, but Im not cleaning up his
vomit tonight!
~
Cornell professor Rachel Dunifon and her assistant, Eliza Cook, conducted a
comprehensive study quantifying whether or not family meals actually make a difference. They
focused on isolating family meal impact from other factors to make the data more accurate, and
the specifics of how family meals should be overseen. Their results revealed that children are
35% less likely to engage in disordered eating, 24% more likely to eat healthier foods, and 12%
less likely to be overweight when their families have frequent family meals. But in order for
these benefits to occur, family meals should be at least three times a week, have most if not all of
family members present, and be focused on conversation rather than phones or the TV
(Dunifon).
~
How was your day? My dad asks.
Good.
Fine.
Alright.
Well, did you do anything interesting? My dad tries again.
Oh! I got asked to Prom! I say.
I had a math test, Rebecca says.

Aman 5
I didnt really do anything interestingI think, says Andrew.
Peter, did you do anything interesting today? my mom prompts.
WellI guess I filed these papersto run for mayor!
What?! Yay! Im so happy!!! My dads going to be Mayor of Atlanta!! I say. Wait,
what made you change your mind? My dad had been wavering about running for many months
now.
I guess I decided its important to teach you guys to take professional risks. The two
things old people say they regret not doing is spending more time with family, which I think Im
pretty good at, and taking professional risks. Plus, I can always get a corporate job, and I really
do think that I can make the City of Atlanta a better place.
Thats what Ive been saying all along! But Im glad you finally did it, I say.
I couldnt wait to make my first announcement at Town Meeting, after telling Big of
course, to tell everyone to vote for my dad for mayor.
~
Family meals are one of my favorite times of the day. Whether discussing politics, our
days at schools, our extracurriculars, or telling stories, I get to be with my family, if for only 15
minutes (were fast eaters). Its not perfect sometimes I get home at 9 pm from gymnastics, and
everyone cant wait for me but we do our best to have dinner and breakfast together as much as
possible. And we try to make those 15 minutes quality time; the TV is too far to see from the
table, phones are banned at the table, and we try to get everyone who is home together on the
weekends and a few days during the week. I cant speak to whether this has helped my grade
point average or prevented depression, but it is definitely enjoyable. I think part of the reason my
family does this is that my parents grew up having family meals frequently. Since they find it

Aman 6
important, they passed on the tradition to us, and we will pass it on to our kids. Well just have to
train our dogs not to beg for scraps.

Works Cited
Dunifon, Rachel, and Eliza Cook. "Do Family Meals Really Make a Difference?" Cornell
University College of Human Ecology. N.p., 2012. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
<https://www.human.cornell.edu/pam/outreach/upload/Family-Mealtimes-2.pdf>.
"The Family Dinner Project." The Family Dinner Project.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
<http://thefamilydinnerproject.org/resources/faq/>.