Diocese encourages families to participate in Family Day Sept. 25

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
Sept. 21, 2006

Families throughout the United States and the Diocese of Sioux City are encouraged to participate in Family Day on Sept. 25 and sit down together for a meal.

"Families need time together because we are people and we are about relationships," said Vera Ludwig, coordinator of family programs for the Diocese of Sioux City. "If you don't have time talking together how can you have a relationship."

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University created Family Day - A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children in 2001. It is celebrated on the fourth Monday in September. CASA co-sponsors the day with media partners TV Land and Nick at Nite. Each station runs commercials promoting the day and asks families to eat together.

The CASA Family Day Web site, www.casafamilyday.org, states that the day is "a national effort to promote family dinners as an effective way to reduce substance abuse among children and teens."

Ludwig mentioned that according to CASA "teens who eat dinner with their family six to seven times per week are at almost half the risk of substance abuse as teens who eat dinner with their family twice a week or less."

"Last year Family Day was their most successful year, yet," said Ludwig. "More than 1.3 families pledged to have family dinners, and more than 35 religious groups across the country celebrated Family Day in various ways."

The Web site also stated that "Family Day emphasizes the importance of regular family activities and encourages Americans to make family dinners a regular feature of their lives."

"The more often children and teens eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use illegal drugs," said Ludwig. "This group, CASA, has consistently demonstrated that fact. They have done research."

Ludwig suggested that before the meal the family could light candles and say a prayer. Along with having meals together, Ludwig encourages families to attend Mass together.

Ed and Eileen Lord of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Sioux City have five children and try to have family dinners together every night. Their children are Matt (14), Natalie (11), Sophie (9), Therese Marie (6) and Annie (4).

"I like to be able to touch base with everyone and see how everyone's day went," said Eileen. "We start with a prayer so everyone knows who is on our prayer list and that it is important to pray for those people."

She continued that having dinner as a family gives them a chance to debrief the days events. They find out how each of the children did at school and who needs what for the next day.

"You know if they're smoking, you know if they're drinking," said Eileen. "If they are there and you are looking at them, you are keeping tabs on everybody and knowing where everybody is."

Eileen hopes that having meals together will pass onto her children the importance of doing things as family.

Not only does the family have meals together, they support each other by going to sporting events and other activities that each of the children participate in.

"We really try to support each other," said Eileen. "We all went to Matt's cross country meet. Last weekend, our daughter who is in sixth grade had a volleyball game. We really try to do things together."

Eileen noted that since they have five children, each child is limited to one sport and one music activity.

"We need to limit our extracurricular activities, so we have time for family. That really does come first," said Eileen.

For more information or to pledge to eat as a family on Family Day, go to the CASA Family Day Web site at www.casafamilyday.org.