Truth in storytelling is something I struggle with as I write about family dinner, although the sponsorship debate* hasn't come up for me (yet!). I wonder how to balance an optimistic and forward-looking message without seeming like a Pollyanna. I wonder just how much of my own life to share and how much to keep it strictly to the "business" of family dinner research.
Specifically I think about,
- How to present research and sound advice to parents without being judgmental.
- How to sing the praises of family dinner and better nutrition for you and your kids while acknowledging the hard facts that it can be a struggle, night after night.
- How to get policymakers and researchers to consider family dinner as a health promotion effort worth taking seriously.
Will you help me do that? Add a story or link to the comments section or just email me with your ideas or support. Thanks!
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*For the record, Stouffer's and ConAgra have NOT come calling. In fact, Stouffer's blocked my comments even though I was far from critical of their Let's Fix Dinner campaign. It should be noted that they partnered with the respected CASA research group for the promotion who must have reined them in, er guided them, a bit.
Hi Grace! Love what you are doing. I'll be glad to help in any way I can. For the record, we try to eat dinner together as a family whenever we can, but it is often tough during the week if my husband works late and if the kids are crazy with hunger. At the very least, we usually try to have breakfast together, and we always have dinner together on the weekends. I think eating dinner as a family has helped our kids understand how to have reasonably polite and/or interesting conversations, and it has helped our littlest one stay at the table a little longer.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to seeing what you're going to do next. Let me know how I can help!
Cheers,
Jeanne @JollyTomato
Thanks checking in and your comments. I love your site, too. Let's connect and share ideas. Best Grace
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