Sitting down together at the family dinner table may seem hard to manage with the busy lives people lead these days. However, a family meal helps create an environment where parents and children can have a conversation. And that family interaction is an important factor to protect children from the dangers of smoking, drinking and drugs.
The Hays office of the Cottonwood Extension District is teaming up with Papa Murphy’s and the Hays Kiwanis Club to offer a family pizza activity to encourage families to cook and eat together. Families with young children will have the opportunity to collect the ingredients for a pizza and return home to make a low-cost meal to bake and enjoy together.
Family Pizza Night will be held on Monday, Sept. 20, from 4:15-6:15 pm at the Extension Office meeting room, 601 Main Street in Hays. Check-in will be at the front door on Main Street. The cost is $3 per pizza, with a limit of two pizzas per family. Quantities are limited, so registration is accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Please register and pay at the Extension Office, 601 Main Street in Hays. If you have questions, please call 785-628-9430. This is an event for parents with their young children. Registration will be complete when the fee for the pizza is paid.
Papa Murphy’s will donate pizza crusts for the make-and-take event and toppings are purchased by funding from the Hays Kiwanis Club and Cottonwood Extension District. We’ll also provide some fruit and veggies to balance your healthy family meal.
The goal of Family Pizza Make and Take Night is to create awareness that regular conversations between parents and children are an important prevention tool to help safeguard Kansas youth and that family meals are an important way to regularly engage in those conversations.
Parental influence is known to be one of the most crucial factors in determining the likelihood of substance abuse by teenagers. Research done by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse consistently finds that the more often children eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs. The statistics reveal that teens who almost always eat dinner with their families are 31 percent LESS likely than the average teenager to smoke, drink or use drugs, while teens who virtually never eat dinner with their families are 72 percent MORE likely than the average teenager to use illegal drugs, alcohol and cigarettes.
Additionally, research shows that children who eat dinner often with their families are more likely to be emotionally content, do well in school, have positive peer relationships, have lower levels of stress and be bored less often. What amazing benefits from something as simple as a family meal!
Berny Unruh is the Family and Community Wellness Agent for the Cottonwood Extension District. She can be reached at 785-628-9430 or at [email protected]