FaMEALy Day: A Tradition of Sharing Mealtimes with Family

2025 Story Update: Mark your calendar! September 22, 2025 is Famealy Day. My children are all grown up now, but we still observe this family meal day not only in September each year but whenever our schedules would allow.  It gives us time to share our plans, experiences, laughter and even challenges, tears and fears with one another. The family where I came from also share mealtimes together that I adapted it to my own family. I could attest to the study made years ago on  the importance of parent's presence at the dinner table, that spending time with your children during mealtimes can affect the rest of their lives. Our children hold on to these moments and provide them with shield from going astray and not be influenced by wrong companies. Fifteen years have already passed since we joined this Family Meal Day (though we had been eating together eversince I had my own family).  It is always a great moment of joy for me as a mother to spend those times with my children especially now that they are starting to build their own lives and living on their own. Circumstances have changed. Years ago, my children were waiting for me and my husband to come home from work so we could eat together for dinner. Today, the parents are the one waiting for them to be home to spend rare occassion of shared mealtimes.   But I am still so grateful to be spending and sharing meal times with my children whenever their work schedules would allow it.

Original story in 2010 as posted below:

I arrived home tonight some minutes past seven and just like the other nights, I missed again a very precious dinner time with my kids. Traffic and bad weather prevents me from getting home earlier and I really regret that. I too grew up with working parents and I remember how I always look forward to each dinner time because that is our chance to gather around at a table and exchange stories and views of how our day was. It was always a very enriching conversation and a memorable moment indeed. My mother always make it a point that we eat together when she arrives from work and to make each weekend a special mealtime together. At least I always have good memories of those mealtime moments despite the busy schedule of my beloved mother.

Recently, my daughter in 6^th grade approached me to hand me a letter that sort of reminding me how important shared meal time is. It was given in their school and I need to sign on the letter as a pledge to celebrate the National FaMEALy day. Then my daughter told me, “Mommy don’t forget to sign on that and don’t forget that day.” As I read through the brochure that was attached to the letter, it was the advocacy being advertised on TV by a noodle product named "Lucky Me". Lucky me indeed for receiving this kind of invitation that encourages parents like me to put best effort to practice regular family meals despite being a working parent.

I want to quote these words from their brochure "frequent family dinners are associated with lower rates of smoking, drinking and illegal drug use." and "what parents don't realize is the importance of their presence at the dinner table, that spending time with their children during mealtimes can affect the rest of their lives."

So let's mark it on our calendar to celebrate September 27 or every 4th Monday of September a FaMEALy day or better yet, let's make it EVERYDAY.