“Quality time” has become a common phrase in our world.  I have always been a little uncomfortable with this title because it implies that some time is “non-quality time”, and who wants that?

For our family at least, our quality times usually come in moments, not blocks of time.  And more often than not, these moments come during a meal.  There are days when it feels like our two teenagers will never treat each other kindly, or that our pre-teen will ever drop her whatever attitude, or that our youngest will not stop whining about his homework.  Then, dinner will start.  Many times it starts off with everyone feeling grumpy, but then, somehow, the magic happens.  Before I know it, we all share a laugh, and the tension lifts from the table like a helium balloon going up to ceiling. These “quality” moments are the foundation that keep our family strong as a unit. They also confirm to me how important that this family meal time is, and that we need to continue to make it a priority, even when that isn’t always the easiest thing to do.

Stacey Seybold Hiller juggles much and still holds it together. Mom to four kids ages 8 – 15, she owns Dream Dinners in Indianapolis, IN. She has also been a pediatric speech language pathologist for 24 years and speaks nationally on the topic. Stacey blogs about family communication, eating, parenting and more.