The Parents Secret Weapon

Parents of teens face numerous problems and difficulties, but what if I told you that there is one family activity that can help parents solve two of the most difficult problems that parents of teens will have to deal with.
According to a Columbia University survey, teenagers who have a sit-down dinner with their family are more likely to achieve higher grades in school and have a significantly lower chance of having substance abuse problems.
The study indicates that quality family time may be a key to curbing some of the inappropriate behavior that can plague those developing years. Specifically, the study found that teens who had family dinners five or more times a week were 42% less likely to drink alcohol, 59% less likely to smoke cigarettes and 66% less likely to try marijuana.
In addition, the study also discovered that teens who had regular family dinners were 40% more likely to get A's and B'ss in school.
Having dinner with the family used to be the normal thing to do. But with today's busy lifestyles, longer work hours, two-income families, and children who are involved in two or three after school activities, it's easy to see why only about half of American teens have regular family dinners.
Children are a parent's most valuable asset, and spending quality time them, even if it is 15 minutes at a dinner table, needs to become a priority. Parents should also limit the amount of activities their children are involved in, and rearrange their schedules to incorporate some quality time at the dinner table.
The teen years are the last stage of a child's development before they leave home and start their own lives. But mistakes made during those crucial years can have lasting effects for years to come. It is of the utmost importance that parents do everything in their power to ensure that their children have as many positives going for them and having regular family dinners is one of the easiest, yet most important ways to do that.
Tim Neumann is a proud father of four beautiful children and the owner of The Parents Field Guide, http://www.parentsfieldguide.com where you can find parenting articles, parenting advice parenting tips and product reviews to help you be the very best parent you can be.
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