I read a lot through the week. Not as in book reading; more along the lines of articles, blogs, newsletters, and emails. I am also prone to the odd questionnaire and competition. I have noticed there is a common factor I have noticed popping up which is confusing the hell out of me. It is to do with how often your family sits together for dinner in your house through the week. My answer is ALWAYS.
Every family is different, and I appreciate that.
Families are made up of different numbers, different interests and different schedules. Are there really so many families, though who regularly do not have dinners together?
When I was growing up, dinner was on the table at the same time each day, mostly. Unless you were committed to a sport, work, ill or not living at home anymore, you were expected to be home at this set time to join the family for dinner.
Now that I have my own family, the same standards are applied.
There are times that hubby is called out with SES, or I may not eat until later due an early Netball commitment, but these are not a regular or even, weekly occurrences.
I also understand that our children are still young. Young enough not to have commitments late in the day, work, or heavy social tendencies. Neither hubby nor I travel for work or work shifts either, so it is easy to say that most weeks are the same.
I wonder, then, about the things that our family benefits from that other families may be missing out on.
Our family talk about our day, the current events, upcoming events, our wants/needs, complaints .... we cover a lot of area here.
I rely on this time of day, to have my family around me. I like to have that time to have a good look at my children across the table and soak up their stories, assess their happiness levels, gauge their energy levels, and listen. It is also a good time for me to see what they are eating or not eating, as I don't get this chance whilst they are at school or I am at work.
Lastly, with the sharing of all of the above, it may be the one time in the day that hubby and I get the same information at the same time. There is no need to cross-reference or go through any he said/she said.
Tell me I am not alone in valuing this time together at the table? Tell me there are many of you still doing the same. If not, then help me see it from another point of view.
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I agree, it's such a valuable time. Hubby and I always eat dinner together (Dora is usually in bed by then). When Dora's older, I know it's something we will do.
ReplyDeleteI live with two adult male children and we rarely sit at the table together for meals. We occasionally eat together in front of the telly. Does that count? ;-)
ReplyDeleteWe eat breakfast at different times as I am a nurse and often eat and run before anyone else is awake. Lunches are in different locations midweek with school and work but we sit together for lunch at weekends and 7 days a week we eat dinner at the table. The girls are teenagers now so of course they occasionally eat at a friends house or a friend joins our table but we never serve separate meals at separate times. I also have a rule against anyone taking their meal to eat in front of a computer or at a study desk. Meal times are a time to take time out and reconnect. We are a strong family unit and I believe eating together is the glue that keeps us together. I don't judge families who eat separately as I know with shift work must come flexibility but for those who eat separately while under one roof I think they might not realise what they are missing.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right, shared meals are really important. I would love to have dinner with the whole family every night, but unfortunately, hubby works late. However, our solution is to religiously share breakfast together and it is now one of my favourite times of the day x
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