Is the traditional family dinner a thing of the past? In today's households where both parents go to work and kids have busy schedules with school, an array of afternoon activities and much homework, finding time for a gathering at the table seems impossible. Yet, studies have shown time and again that eating together has multiple benefits for family members, especially children.

    According to a number of reports issued by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, children who eat at least five times a week with their family are at lower risk of developing poor eating habits, weight problems or alcohol dependencies, and tend to perform better academically than their peers who frequently eat alone or away from home.

    Eating together as a family is not just about food and nutrition. "Food has become so easily and cheaply available that we no longer appreciate its significance," says Professor Robin Fox, who teaches anthropology at Rutgers University in New Jersey. "We have to rediscover its importance and its value." Sharing a meal with loved ones should be considered a special event, which can almost take on the form of a ceremony, as it was practiced by our ancestors, for whom finding food was a constant struggle.

    Besides appreciation for the value of food, there are also many social elements that come into play when families share meals, says Miriam Weinstein, author of The Surprising Power of Family Meals. The dinner table can be the perfect environment where kids learn how to conduct conversations, observe good manners, serve others, listen, solve conflicts and compromise.

    Of course, there is no guarantee that the simple act of eating at home surrounded by family will save children from developing unhealthy lifestyles or making regrettable choices down the road. It may not make them more virtuous (品行端正的) or socially more responsible. But it can form a basis for a lot of things that point them in the right direction.