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I never got even close to any kind of trouble as a kid/teenager because I was always expected home by dinner time - 7 days a week - even if it was just for us all to eat together in front of the tv. While that wasn't the most quality way to have family dinners, it kept me from having too much unstructured time on my hands. The only time was allowed to dine with people other than my family, it was with my best friends' families. At the time, I resented that my good behavior was rewarded with limited privileges. In retrospect, I'm glad I didn't spend all my evenings loitering in town with all the other kids my age. I don't think I would have accomplished very much and I managed to find plenty of time to socialize with my good friends anyway. I think there's something to this family dinner business, but I don't think it has as much to do with a nuclear family or sitting around a table as much as it has to do with having a daily routine and the expectation that family meal time is safe time.
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"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
(Michael Jordan)
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