Today I am thankful for one of my favorite things, family dinners. There is nothing like having everybody home and around the table together! Ever since our children were able to sit up we have made dinner time together at the table a priority. Really and truly we've been doing it so long that when we are not all at the table it feels weird.
There are so many reasons to have family dinners. When our children were younger we used that time to teach table manners. Like putting your napkin in your lap, elbows off the table, and not talking with your mouth full. We taught them how to set the table, cut their meat and how to hold their fork and pass food around the table. Believe it or not having seven people at the table we even had to teach them how to take turns speaking, how to add to conversation without interrupting and the difference between appropriate and inappropriate dinner subjects. ( I will never forget when I was a senior in high school and my prom date thanked me for having nice table manners. Sounds crazy, but the other girls there didn't really do table manners and my date and I were kind of taken back.....can you believe I remember that?) Anyway, learning all those things is a cool thing, but the real treasure is being together talking, laughing and keeping up with all that is going on in everybody's life.
Now that two of our children are in college, it feels weird to have two empty chairs, but it is still so important to make the effort to all eat together at night. If you are having family dinners, you know how special it is. If your are not doing it, try it! It will change your life, and I guarantee it will be one of your favorite things to be thankful for too!! love love love Ruthie
I agree, it is very important for a family to sit at the dinner table together. So few families do it these days. A short while ago, we had gotten in the habit of just eating around the bar in the kitchen. My husband and I noticed how everyone's manners were slipping, so we made it a point to eat at the dining room table again. Manners are improving.
ReplyDeleteI told my mother yesterday how I needed to talk about manners on my blog. I am amazed how little my children's friends know. Your children are very blessed that you care enough to teach them.