"I was disciplined and motivated," said [Cameron Stracher] in a telephone interview last week. "And it worked. I think things have definitely changed in my house. My son asks if I'm coming home early or late and what's for dinner. It's part of the night."

"My wife wasn't always happy to have me home," he said, laughing. "But I feel much closer and more part of my family than I did two years ago. There are other consequences, too, like I'm coaching softball for my daughter. I'm much more involved."

"I don't think having dinner with your kids is going to keep them off drugs like the stats say," he said. "But I do think that you have your children for such a short time in our lives before they're off doing their own thing. They're going to be gone soon. So dinner is just a way you can get everyone together. That's what's important."