Recognizing National Family Meals Month

Floor Speech

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Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize September as National Family Meals Month.

Between work, school, and extracurricular activities, it can be hard to find time to share a meal as a family, but the benefits that come from carving out time to eat together are rewarded tenfold.

Family meals are great for the mind, body, and spirit. Regular meals provide children and their parents with great nutritional value, helping them to meet the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables. It also expands the variety of food children will eat, making them less picky about what is on the table.

For young, developing children, conversation heard at the dinner table involves vocabulary and reading comprehension. Adolescents also benefit, often being more likely to achieve higher grades in school.

Meals bring families closer and provide a setting for parents and children to engage in meaningful dialogue that can reduce stress and negative behavior and improve communications skills.

Madam Speaker, I encourage all families to prioritize time for family meals and strengthen their ties to one another.

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