Cosby's new book contains an interesting statistic...

[Okla-homey]

In Bill Cosby's new book , "Come On People" about saving black youth, he states children who sit down for the evening meal with their families five times a week are three times less likely to get involved with drugs.

Now, I haven't seen the book and don't have any idea how that statistic was derived, but I've always believed family mealtime was probably more important in child-raising than anyone consciously realizes.

He's on MTP this morning with his co-author and although I bet they get pilloried by some, it would appear there is a lot of wisdom within the book's covers to help us all deal with, and reverse the tragedy that has befallen this segment of our population.

Excerpts from the book:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21279731/

[King Crimson]

i heard that same statistic announced over the pre-recorded "voice" at the local grocery store yesterday morning, suggesting that a family dinner is what "memories are made of". i'm not kidding. and it was followed with "let's make some memories with meal time!". and then the crappy Don Henley/Phil Collins songs that are apparently what food shopping is all about.

[StoopTroup]

I remember snorting lines of coke with Mom and Dad after every evening meal.

[King Crimson]

I remember snorting lines of coke with Mom and Dad after every evening meal.

a family that plays together, stays together.

i'd drink gasoline if i didn't have to hear Don Henley ballads.

[Jerk]

I remember my dad sitting down at the head of the table and staring at me and my cousin , pausing, and saying "look, I know you guys think you can kick my a.ss, but if you try, I'm going to hurt one of you really bad, and the other is going to be just standing there"

[Soonrboy]

It's not the schools we need to be more worried about. It's the breakdown of the family and family values. Don't leave prayer up to the schools. Do it in your home with your own children at the dinner table.

[Okla-homey]

It's not the schools we need to be more worried about. It's the breakdown of the family and family values. Don't leave prayer up to the schools. Do it in your home with your own children at the dinner table.

That, and go into your teens room occasionally and do a "shakedown," kinda like they do in prison cells. In the kid's presence, look in every drawer, under the bed and all the typical kid hiding places. Check out what's on the walls. The stuff posted is the stuff that the kid thinks is important and believes defines who he is. Keep that in mind. If the kid has a car he drives pretty exclusively, shake that sucka down too.

Sure, Junior may get p1ssed and call you a nazi...but WTF cares? He'll understand someday you did it b/c you LOVE his goofy arse.

[soonerhubs]

In my studies I've observed that parental monitoring is where it's at when you have teenagers. Oklahomey's correct on that matter.
Also keep the lines of communication open.

[SoonerGirl06]

I admire Bill Cosby and his attempts to lift up the black youth instead of putting them down like some. <cough>Jackson, Rangel<cough>

[StoopTroup]

The Coz is trying to put out a positive message IMO.

It's to bad he's getting hammered by so many who aren't really helping.

[SoonerGirl06]

The Coz is trying to put out a positive message IMO.

It's to bad he's getting hammered by so many who aren't really helping.

That's because if he puts out a positive message and the black community actually believes him and follows him, it would completely destroy the agendas of others... ie: Jackson, Rangel, and others that make it their mission to constantly keep the black population down.

[1stTimeCaller]

IMO that stat is like the one about students who get a full night's rest the night before a test score better on them. If you don't study, and dont read the material, sleeping all night long isn't going to make you score better the next morning.