When was the last time you sat down with your whole family at a dinner table and enjoyed a hearty meal while talking about how each person’s day was? For some people, their answer may be, “last night,” but according to a survey from the Journal of American Medicine found in a CBS news article, only about 43% of American families eat together everyday. While it may not be so surprising, it is important to realize the reasons why society has changed towards this direction.

   According to a “Where America Stands” poll from the same article on CBS, statistics state that the television is on all the time for 33% of American families during dinner time, while it is on sometimes for 27% of the families. It may seem like a small percentage; however, the effects this has on the family are great. If more time is being spent on what will happen next on a suspenseful TV drama rather than what happened at school that day, students are forced to turn towards themselves rather than being able to communicate their feelings with their parents or siblings. In correlation to this issue is the fact that America is materialistic and focuses on the things that one has rather what kind of person someone actually is. The standards that society has set are that girls have to be skinny and pretty, boys have to be tough and muscular, and to be successful one has to be rich. With guidelines based on appearance, people will more likely become focused on their own needs before thinking about others. Although this cannot be said for everyone, it is important to realize that as much as we care about ourselves, we should also care for others. Maybe it can start from a simple action such as eating together as a family at least one time everyday. Although, it is hard to accomplish that with everything that we have to focus on, such as studying and parents striving to support the family, it is important to do what we can with the time we have with our families and friends.