Interesting statistics: Family Dinner Time

Found the following mind-blowing statistics today. If you are a parent, take notice. The effort goes a long way…

• Family dinners have declined by one-third, based on the number of families who report that their whole family usually eats dinner together. But the rebound may have begun. A poll that tracked adolescents from 1998-2004 found a 28 percent increase in families having dinner together five or more times per week.
Dr. Doherty has written the book Putting Family First: Successful Strategies for Reclaiming Famiy Life in A Hurry Up World. Doherty, W.J. (2002)

Doherty stated: “For young children, meal time at home is a stronger predictor of academic achievement and psychological adjustment than time spent in any of the following activities: school, studying, sports, church/religious activities, or art activities. For teens, having regular dinners with parents is a strong predictor of academic success, psychological adjustment, and lower rates of alcohol use, drug use, early sexual behavior, eating disorders, and risk for suicide.”

Communion Room

Don’t forget that every Sunday, following worship, there is a Family Communion Room set up for families with baptized children. This is an opportunity for your child to take communion and to do so with you leading it. It is an opportunity for you to be a leader in your family as well. When children are dismissed from Children’s Worship, take them to the youth room (side closest to exterior door, there is a sign). It will only take a few moments, but what a great time to spend with your child!

Free sex offender locator tool

Vision 20/20 has created a great online tool for searching for sex offenders in a given area. Visit their free online sex offender tool to search by address, see on a map where they are located, and get information regarding what offense they committed. They also show you a picture of the sex offender and give detailed information.

As a parent this is a valuable tool as well as knowing who is in your church and surrounding community. It is the church’s responsibility to provide a safe experience for all children. Awareness is pivotal to that.