Oman – The daily gathering of the family at the dining table is a form of closeness and affection among its members. Sofra is just foods and not food to eat. In the past, food was a part of family life because its members knew to be home at certain times so that everyone could eat at the same table.

Now, this scenario does not exist in a large number of families, although sitting together at the dining table has health and psychological benefits and positive effects for children, especially children, as experts confirmed to “Al Jazeera Net”.

Family meeting and conversation

Psychologist Dr. Salam Ashour told Al-Jazeera Net: “Parents try to provide healthy food to protect their children, as well as provide attention and love to protect their mental health and protect them from any behavioral disorder that could affect their lives. With life’s challenges and various needs, parents work long hours to protect their children’s livelihood. may work, which prompts them to invest their remaining time in the welfare of the family as a whole.

According to expert Ashur, which creates closeness among family members, one of the most successful times is when the family gathers around the dining table, exchanging conversations and conversations with the children and sharing their day’s events with them. And reduces intensity and tension, and in addition to learning a lot of things for them, teaches them social communication skills with others. Educational values, such as cooperation, responsibility and food etiquette, help prepare the table and assign roles to them.

Psychological immunity in children

Salam believes that being careful to follow these good habits, whether on a daily or weekly basis, teaches children healthy eating habits and works on solving their nutritional problems, as well as helps create memories with parents and siblings.

“But here, parents need to focus so that this family meeting is positively beneficial, away from the use of phones and involvement with electronic devices, it gets the benefit and the children enjoy psychological immunity and family support that help them excel in education. ,” according to Salam Ashour. .

For his part, sociologist Dr. Hussain Mahadin told Al-Jazeera Net that the idea of ​​group meeting represented by daily “food conferences” has undergone changes towards an increase in rates and topics of personal freedoms and values. For children.

Makadin points out that family relations, as a legal and cultural institution, were an educational requirement for both sexes, and that Arab-Islamic societies previously saw the basic participation of parents because they were a daily expression of privacy. Our culture compared to the reality of western societies.

Family roles will diminish

The current pressure of life and the globalized economic rhythm have made it rare for all family members to gather around a meal. Makadin believes that this narrowing of family roles and status has led to intermediary institutions that have historically assigned tasks to our families:

• As chefs and restaurants take it up, especially those specializing in fast food.
• Educating and guiding children through social media in the age of technology.

Most of the mutual respect visits with others, individuals and families, took place in restaurants, farms or outside the geographical location, i.e. in homes.

No family schedule

“Why don’t more families eat together now?” Under the heading Nanny McPhee Some reasons for not having a family schedule and its impact on children.

The site pointed out that food used to be a formal affair, meaning all family members would eat together without any distractions around the dinner table and share their diaries. Nowadays, it’s hard to ignore the busyness between phones, game consoles and TV. It means that mealtimes have become less formal and solemn in a sense.

Children’s eating habits are unlikely to be good if they don’t have the same eating habits as other family members, the site believes, “By eating regular family meals together, you can not only improve their diet, but also emotionally. The benefits of connecting with you as a parent.”

Family meals can be stressful for parents, especially if their children are still young and need to eat early because their bedtimes are early, and parents are not ready to eat at the same time.

The site emphasizes the benefits of family time as much as it is for our physical health, as it’s not as common to enjoy meals together as a family, but to be together as a family or simply connect. Strengthening the bond between parents and children.