Family Time

Many of us remember family meals growing up.  Dinner at my house was, for the most part, the same time every night and you were expected to be home.  (sporting events and work were the exceptions as we got older)  When I had my children I swore we would eat together every night.  And we did, for a while.  When my oldest was born we put his seat at the table with us.  We talked to him and included him throughout the meal as he grew older.  When our second came along, it was pretty much the same. Then came #3. By that time the oldest was playing recreational sports and practices started at 5/5:30.  We needed to eat and get out the door with a baby and toddler in tow, during some of the crankiest times of the day.  I was not thinking we should be eating together.  I was thinking that I didn't know how I was going to survive the day, the week, the season. We still made time for family dinner on non-practice nights and weekends though.  I still look back on those days and smile. They were a lot of work at times, but the memories we made can not be erased.

Fast forward to today and my whole family is missing our time together.  Time to talk about our days, our highs and lows.  Time to share stories and laugh.  They are far and few between now that I have 3 active teenagers, but when we do get a chance to sit down and eat together we enjoy it to the fullest and probably sit and talk for way too long, putting off dishes and chores. We have a rule that no one eats alone, but that is still not the same.   If you were to ask my children what they like about family dinners, I know they would say it is the stories that surface, especially when the grandparents are with us.  The memories we have created get relived and we learn to appreciate each other just a bit more.

The Importance of Family Meals

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