Gather Around

Some of my best childhood memories are those where my family--me, my younger brother, mom and dad--were gathered around the dinner table. That table, coincidentally, is still the table my parents gather around today. Oh the stories the table could tell! I've already told my parents I want the table when they die. I think they thought I was joking, but I am not.

Even "back in the day" my brother and I were involved in multiple school activities. Like most high schoolers, those activities kept us going from morning until after dark some nights and even weekends. I seriously don't know how we made it without cell phones. My mom must've spent hours in her car just waiting for us to finish so we could go home! Regardless of how crazy the days schedule, my parents made sure we ate dinner together almost every evening. The food wasn't what brought us together but the daily connection we had talking about the good, the bad and sometimes the really ugly throughout our day.

I never knew how important those times meant to me until my husband and I started our own family. We discussed our desire to have this intentional time of connection around the dinner table. So as a young married couple we'd attempt to eat a meal I, as a young bride with minimal cooking skills, had prepared (some nights were more successful than others!) and talk about our day. We found out that first year this meal time conversation also worked over fast food if my meal wasn't executed as planned!

When kids came along our meal times sounded more like a battleground than conversations:

"Sit down!"

"No, we don't put our feet on the table while we're eating."

"Rolling olives up our legs is not something we do at the table."

"Yes, you do have to eat all your green beans or yes, you WILL be eating them for breakfast!"

Our kids have gotten older and there are less battles, although sometimes the green beans still cause an issue. Occasionally, we're surprised by more meaningful conversations involving questions that have been on their minds or a detailed recap of the day. Other nights it can be pretty quiet because, let's face it, some days are just hard and by dinnertime we're tired and feel defeated. The point is, we're together and we're hopefully building a stronger family in the process.

I want to know in this age of technology and busy schedules, how do you stay connected with your family? Dinners? Game nights? Take a minute and share your ideas in the comments below.


Jaime