Gather Around the Table

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

When I was growing up, my family made a point to sit down and eat dinner together at the table at least five days per week. It was a great way to get caught up with each other to discuss important family issues, and it helped to facilitate a setting where we would communicate with one another quite regularly.

On the surface, it seems that the tradition of sitting down together as a family for dinner has become less common place as the years have passed by. Parents and kids have so much going on in their lives that sometimes it is “easier” to eat on the fly and pass each other in the kitchen, instead of taking the extra time to sit down as a group. In my opinion, this generation of kids is way too overscheduled, and parents and kids are so much more distracted thanks to the Internet, PDAs, iPods, and other technological devices. For more on this topic, read my blogs Breaking the Cell Phone or PDA Addiction Parts I and II.

These distractions and diversions create a sense of busyness that I feel takes away from solid family communication and quality time spent together in the household. It also contributes to the creation of negative energy that can be palpable at times as a result of un-finished conversations, bitterness from repressed emotions, and frustrations with how the family is prioritized amongst its individual members. Good old fashioned face-to-face conversations at the dinner table can go a long way towards curing those feelings by creating a forum to express yourself and be heard by other family members.

If your family is one that likes to “eat on the fly” or eat in front of the TV, think about slowing down a bit and gathering around the table. Turn off anything electronic and enjoy the company of each other. These dinner conversations will also give you a chance as parents to practice a few other subjects of previous blogs that I have written including: Listen Closely, Say What You Need To Say, and Ask Questions.

As parents, I would be surprised if you don’t see an instant improvement in your family dynamic and communication by just making this one adjustment. While it might be “easier” to just grab food and eat on the run, your family will benefit greatly from taking the time to gather around the table.

Happy Holidays!


Rob Naddelman is the President of Baseball Factory. Naddelman is a former two-time All Ivy League Third Baseman at the University of Pennsylvania, where he competed in a College World Series Regional. He has served as the President of Baseball Factory for the past 13 years, and also is the Executive Director of Baseball Factory's charitable arm The B.A.S.E. - H.I.T. Foundation. Naddelman and Steve Sclafani (CEO) have been featured in Business Week and CNN for their work in building Baseball Factory into the nation's leader in player development and college placement.

Listen Closely

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

Are you a good listener? Are you distracted when you are talking to your children? Are you thinking about something else, or are you living in the present moment?

Being a good listener is a wonderful character trait to possess. I work very hard each day on trying to be a respectful listener. A close friend of mine says that she tries to listen to her colleagues “with her entire body,” which I think is an accurate way to describe a good listener. I constantly have to fight the urge to cut someone off mid sentence and interject my viewpoint during a discussion. In the end, this type of behavior is disrespectful and the person on the other end feels not validated.

Do you really listen to your kids? Do you try and help them understand their feelings or do you constantly put your feelings and thoughts on them? I think so many arguments and inter-family conflicts could be avoided if people really listened to one another and respected the other person’s position.

Being a good listener will come into play many times in the college recruiting process and the baseball development timeline. Make sure you show your child some respect and really hear what he has to say when he expresses his opinion. You many not always agree, but it will go a long way to creating a healthy relationship with your son.


Rob Naddelman is the President of Baseball Factory. Naddelman is a former two-time All Ivy League Third Baseman at the University of Pennsylvania, where he competed in a College World Series Regional. He has served as the President of Baseball Factory for the past 13 years, and also is the Executive Director of Baseball Factory's charitable arm The B.A.S.E. - H.I.T. Foundation. Naddelman and Steve Sclafani (CEO) have been featured in Business Week and CNN for their work in building Baseball Factory into the nation's leader in player development and college placement.