Mother Of 4 Reveals The Unusual Dinnertime Habit That Makes Family Meals Much 'Calmer'
She found a small tradition that makes things feel special.
Andrea Piacquadio / Pexels Kaisa Coats is a blogger living in Nashville, Tennessee, whose content focuses on “sharing the beauty of everyday things.”
Coats revealed an unusual dinnertime ritual that’s made family meals feel ‘calmer.’
In January, Coats shared that her husband suggested their family try eating dinner by candlelight, so they did. The mom noticed three specific things that occurred, just from turning off the overhead lights and eating a candlelit dinner.
1. “Dinnertime is significantly calmer,” she said, for both her and her four children.
2. She explained that eating dinner by candlelight makes her kids “slow down and want to sit and talk around the table longer."
3. Their new ritual always makes dinner "feel special," which she said, “I love because it is.”
We use candles on birthday cakes; we light candles for holiday meals or romantic dinners — Why not try it for everyday life?
Photo: Nicole Michalou / Pexels
Sometimes, making small, incremental changes helps us improve our lives for the better. Slowing down at dinnertime is a valuable way to reconnect as a family, whether your family includes kids, just you and your partner, or you and your beloved pet.
Implementing simple rituals around mealtimes does make them feel more special, like using the good china just for lunch, or using the linen napkins at breakfast. Life is so often a slog; anything we can do to bring in a little beauty and light is worth doing.
Coats offered advice to families who want to try this dinnertime habit, but worry that it won’t work because their kids are too young, saying, “Our youngest just turned four and loves it. Whatever you teach them will become the norm.”
In revealing her candlelight ritual, many of Coats’ followers shared their own version of that same tradition.
As one woman commented, “We eat by candlelight nightly; we raised three children who do the same.”
“I have my grandmother’s candlesticks, a wedding gift from 1922,” she continued. “Candlelight sets the tone; dinner is an important time of day to gather.”
Another woman shared, “My husband and I eat by candlelight every night. We are 81 and 77.”
Photo: Jonathon Borba / Pexels
One parent explained their theory that lower lighting helps calm kids down, saying, “Lack of sunlight equals [the] brain begins to produce melatonin for sleep, equals kids will start to feel more relaxed [and] sleepy… We do no main lights from 5 P.M., no more overstimulation.”
Health professionals support that parent’s line of thinking: In a clip shared on TikTok, Dr. Matt Walker explained that dimming the lights in your house an hour before you go to bed helps your body unwind.
Walker shared that by turning off half the lights in your home, “You will be surprised by how sleepy that darkness will make you feel.”
“It’s also an incredible behavioral trigger,” he said, “To signal to your brain that it is time for sleep.”
Regardless of the health benefits, Coats’ candlelight tradition touches on the importance of coming together in a face-to-face way, talking to each other about the highs and lows of the day, and processing emotions as a family.
Putting practices into place that bring people together is always a good idea, and adding ambient light just makes life a little more beautiful.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture, and all things to do with the entertainment industry.