A few days ago, as I ran to pick up my daughter from school, make a quick stop home to give her a snack and get a bit of homework done, leave again an hour later to take her to a long overdue dentist appointment, hurry back home to eat a quick supper (without my husband who teaches college on Monday evenings), take my daughter to our downstairs neighbors (who agreed to look after her until dad could make it home), and dash out again so I could make it to a PTA meeting, it's no wonder I almost forgot it was National Family Day. Celebrated on the fourth Monday of September, this day is dedicated to promoting family dinners as a way to reduce substance abuse among children and teens.

I've always been a big proponent of family dinners. We had them almost every day when I was growing up and I've done my best to keep that valued tradition going in my own home. But, there are definitely lots of reasons why family dinners are harder to come by these days. Some of them have to do with the choices we make, like whether we allow our children to participate in extra-curricular activities that involve being away from home in the evening. Others, though, have more to do with the fact that many of us have little control over our work hours. You know the drill. We stay late because the boss needs something ready for the morning or we take that second or third shift job because it's the only way we can make ends meet and keep child care costs down.

Yes, family dinners are important. But, equally important in my mind is addressing the root causes of why so many parents lack the time we need to be actively involved in our children's lives. Creating more family-friendly workplaces - like the ones featured in the just released 2006 Working Mother magazine's 100 Best Companies list (nine of which are right here in Illinois) - seems like an excellent place to start.

President Bush couldn't have said it better in his proclamation for National Family Day 2005, "Strong families are the cornerstone of a strong America, and the well-being of families is a shared priority for all Americans. As we support families, we help build a Nation of opportunity and hope."