dinners as family event

Why it´s important
"Dinnertime is often the only time of the day when there´s an opportunity for the whole family to be together and feel a real sense of connection," says William J. author of The international family: How to build family ties in our modern world. "Without frequent reinforcement, that connection can be lost, and kids start to feel insolated."

How to do it right: Make the meal special - turn off the TV, lihgt some candles and don´t start until everyone is present. "If your teen-ager is on the phone and you being without her, you´ve communicated that she´s not important enough to wait for," says Doherty. Likewise, everyone should stick around until the last family member is finished, so that dinner is a family event, rather than a rushed experience.

More good ideas: If conflicting shedules make family dinners impossble, get creative. One woman, whose husband consistently works late, packs up a picnic and her three kids and takes the family dinner to him a few nights each week. If there´s no way to do dinner, breakfast every saturday morning at tha pancake house ia a good alternative. "Whatever works for your family is fine," says Doherty, "as long as it´s a ritual they can count on."