National Family Day­—

Gathering Families Round The Dinner Table

September 24

Joseph A. Califano, Jr, National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University founder and chairman emeritus had this to say about the practice of having everyone around the table for regular family meals: “If I could wave a magic wand to make a dent in our nation’s substance abuse problem, I would make sure that every child in America had dinner with his or her parents at least five times a week.”

Judy Blanchard, the Newtown School District’s Health coordinator, could not agree more.

“Newtown parents should know that if children are participating and present for family mealtime at least five days a week, those children will be 50 percent less likely to become involved in substance abuse,” she said.

This year, CASA and the Newtown Prevention Council in conjunction with Newtown Youth & Family Services are asking Newtowners to celebrate National Family Day on September 24 by bringing the family together and establishing a regular habit of gathering at least five days a week around the dinner table.

The local agencies are also sending reminders via billboards posted around the community.

According to sources at casafamilyday.org, family meals provide the perfect opportunity to talk to your kids and to listen to what is on their mind. The more often kids eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs.

While there are no silver bullets — substance abuse can strike any family regardless of ethnicity, affluence, age or gender — the parental engagement fostered at the dinner table can be a simple, effective tool to help parents prevent substance abuse in kids.

Family Day began as a grassroots initiative and has grown to become a nationwide celebration. In fact, in 2011 President Obama, all the governors, and more than 1,000 mayors and county executives proclaimed and supported Family Day.

Even New York’s Empire State Building will be lit up in blue as part of the national celebration.

Mr Califano also had this to say about the proven preventative results of family dinner: “America’s drug problem is not going to be solved in courtrooms or legislative hearing rooms by judges and politicians. It will be solved in living rooms and dining rooms and across kitchen tables — by parents and families.”

To learn more, or to download your own free family dinner kit, visit casafamilyday.org.