Research shows that having regular family dinners is linked to positive mental health for all family members, and linked to better behavior in children. The busyness of modern life and family members’ varying time commitments may make it difficult for everyone to come together at the same time, so we don’t want parents to feel stressed about having a family dinner every single night. But perhaps you can set a goal of having three to four family dinners per week. It may be a good idea to have a little family meeting the weekend prior to go over everyone’s schedules and note which evenings you will set aside to eat together. You can also do some menu-planning during this time. Sometimes it can be fun to have everyone contribute a different dish. This meeting itself can be good family bonding! If you don’t have a family, planning a weekly dinner with friends is a great alternative.