Family meal, the lesson is there, why run around looking for it?

Many parents rush to send their children to extra classes, and then 'forget' about family meals. While from these meals, students learn many practical lessons.

No matter how busy you are, still keep family meals

For the past 20 years, while taking care of her professional work and family and children, expert Tran Thi Que Chi, Deputy Director of the Institute for Educational Sciences and Training (IES), said she has never taken her children's family meals lightly. As a single mother with 4 children from preschool to high school age, for many years, Ms. Que Chi has maintained family meals with her children, at least once a day.

Mrs. Que Chi (third from left) always values ​​family meals. Her family always sits together, at least one meal a day.

"I believe that family meals should not only be understood as everyone in the family sitting down together to eat during the main meals. It should be understood in a broader sense, that all members sit together, eat a snack, and drink water. Every day, I try to sit with my children to eat breakfast or dinner. Or when I finish all the work in the evening, my whole family sits together to enjoy a drink, a fruit dish, I can talk openly with my children about all the issues in life, those are always the happiest moments for me," Ms. Que Chi confided.

Doctor Huynh Trung Tuan, a school health worker at Trung Trac Primary School, District 11, Ho Chi Minh City, said that over the past few decades, no matter how busy his professional work is, he and his wife always manage to make time to cook dinner at home, and the whole family gathers to eat together. Except when there is an urgent matter, he will let his wife and children know in advance and not wait for dinner, otherwise everyone still maintains the family routine, the whole family eats together, chats and exchanges after a hard day of work and school.

"In today's generation, the young generation, many families lack family meals. Family meals are very important, where grandparents, parents, and children sit together, eat meals, thereby increasing solidarity and family ties," said Dr. Huynh Trung Tuan.

Learn from every family meal, not far away

Doctor Huynh Trung Tuan said that nowadays many families send their children to extra classes too much. Many parents also say "I don't have time to cook for my children". "Every parent can arrange time for their children. But many parents force their children to study too much, they have to take their children to school all the time, so where is the time to cook for them? So instead of studying 6 sessions a week, only study 3 sessions, cook for the children in the remaining 3 sessions, and teach them to study together", Doctor Tuan shared.

Doctor Tuan also said that seeing their parents working hard outside, and then coming home to cook in the kitchen, children will understand and help their parents prepare meals, learning how their parents cook. From there, children will remember and love home-cooked meals more. The origin is there, meals become an invisible thread that binds and connects family members together, educating children on many useful things.

Doctor Huynh Trung Tuan affirms the extremely important role of family meals, for all generations.

"Family meals are very important for a child's development. I have found that in families where parents eat dinner with their children regularly every night, the children are obedient, successful, and study well. Because meals with grandparents and parents are not only a matter of nutrition but also a spiritual story. Meals show that parents always care about their children. Children of any age, preschool, elementary, middle school, high school or older, all need a warm family home and family traditions. During meals, grandparents and parents asking their children a question is many times more valuable than the knowledge they read in books. Children understand that behind them is the whole family always supporting them, when they have difficulties, they will know who to share with," Dr. Tuan shared.

At the same time, according to Dr. Tuan, in terms of food safety and nutrition, family meals are certainly more secure than meals that children buy temporarily or eat on the street. So why do parents not let their children eat home-cooked meals that are delicious, healthy, and rich in spiritual value, but instead let them eat outside, to compete with extra classes?

Do developed countries value family meals?

Many people think that in developed, modern countries, family meals are no longer important. The reality is completely different. Expert Tran Thi Que Chi, Deputy Director of the Institute of Educational Sciences and Training (IES), said that from her experience of life during her time working in Sydney (Australia), she realized that people here have very clear working hours, after 6 pm the lights go out, work hours end, and they return home to their families. In particular, they do not work on Saturdays and Sundays but spend this time with relatives and friends, where people can meet, go out, and eat together. Even when working with foreign partners, people here also adhere to this principle and everyone must respect it. Unless there are agreements between the two parties about working hours, everything must be clear and distinct from before.

Ms. Chi also said that, according to her research, in the US, people may not eat together every day because life is very busy, but on weekends, people try to have meals together. In France, family meals are often extended, people enjoy the time sitting together, prioritizing moments spent with loved ones. People often focus on cooking and gathering for dinner. Meanwhile, in Sweden, the time when family members often sit together is the time to drink coffee, eat cakes...

Poor students nowadays!

Many readers commented on their perspectives under the series "Many students crave family meals" by Thanh Nien Newspaper. Parent Tuan Nguyen shared: "School is not enough so they have to take extra classes. The current education system and family have brought the children to this state."

Reader Nga Ha Thi shared: "I don't know if parents expect too much from their children, so they force them to study a lot and then blame the teachers for tutoring. No matter what grade their children take, they only need to take 3 subjects, 6 sessions a week. So they only study outside of school from 5 to 7 am and that's it."

Reader Nguyen Nhat Nam exclaimed: "Poor students nowadays."

Account zumykawa1983 expressed: "The matter of extra classes is up to the parents, we should not force our children to study a lot and put pressure on them. We should see which subjects our children are weak in and let them study, do not let them study all the subjects. Although my family is busy, I still wake up early in the morning to cook breakfast for the children, in the afternoon my husband and I come home early to cook dinner and eat with the children, I only let my children study extra classes until 7 pm and then stay home, so our family always eats together."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bua-com-gia-dinh-bai-hoc-o-do-sao-phai-chay-don-dao-kiem-tim-185241210194407262.htm