FAMILY DINNERS = FAMILY BONDS

Family dinners create stronger parent-child bonds. That's the findings in a new poll for the Italian food company Barilla and "Family Circle" magazine. According to "The Barilla Share the Table Survey," 82-percent of parents feel closer to their kids and 72-percent of kids feel closer to their parents when everyone comes together for a meal. Nearly two-thirds of the children say family dinners seem to make their mom and dad "less stressed," and they enjoy their parents' company more. In addition, 71-percent of the parents say they feel like their children appreciate them more when they make an effort to have family dinners, and that actually is the case. Seventy-percent of the kids say family dinners give them a greater appreciation for their mom and dad.