Local churches press Family Day to get everyone back to dinner table

The Oregon Faith Report - Faith News from Oregon

Local churches press Family Day to get everyone back to dinner table

August 28, 2010

Parishes encouraged to promote Family Day
By Portland Archdiocese

Parishes in the Archdiocese of Portland are being encouraged to promote Family Day. September 27 is the tenth anniversary of “Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner with your Children.” This celebration was started in 2001 by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA), which found that the more often children had dinner with their parents the less likely they were to use drugs or alcohol.

Ideas to help families celebrate Family Day include:

* Spending time with children having dinner together;

* Talking to children about their friends, interests and the dangers of drugs and alcohol;

* Listening to children and answering questions they might have on drugs, alcohol and tobacco;

* Recognizing that parents have the power to help keep their children substance abuse free.