The tradition of a shared evening meal has been a lifestyle I am grateful to have adopted for me and my growing family currently. It’s not just about the food but the shared nice moments that make the gathering special.
When I was still a child in my father's house, there hardly was a dinner without every family member seated together to dine unless, for some reason, someone was unavoidably absent. As big as our extended family is, my dad always ensured that we all ate together and in the same "plate," usually a very big tray enough to contain everyone; that's what Mum used to dish out food back then. Because it's an extended family, my mum could cook today, and everyone eats together, and tomorrow, her co-wife will cook, and we all gather to eat together as well. One thing I discovered back then was the bond that existed so much among us. The shared gist after eating, the laughter, the advice, and lots more. We may spend 20 minutes eating but spend an hour having family time together after eating until people start to retire to bed.
Now that I have my own family, I adopted the same style of family dinner, just like we did it in my father's house with positive results. When my kids were smaller, I only observed family dinner with my husband, but not anymore; the boys are growing, and there is a lot to talk about all the time because, of course, parenting has no fixed time, so even after dinner, or during dinner, as the case may be, I usually see things that need to be talked about for the good of everyone. It just makes sense to stay knitted together as one family.
As the woman of the house, I make every effort to see that we all have our family dinner at the same time and at the same place, sometimes with the same plate and sometimes everyone with his or her plate, but we must sit together to have our meal. I have seen how the session brings more family bond, and holding onto it seems cool. Because I have little children who need to sleep on time, I ensure to fix dinner early enough, and this sometimes deprives my husband of joining us due to his work life. However, the day he could meet up, it's always extra fun as he wouldn't hesitate to tell us all about his day, what transpired, and the rest. Each of us will stylishly be learning his profession in the middle of the gist.
My children, on the other hand, don't hesitate to seize the opportunity to download all that happened in school, both relevant and irrelevant ones, and I pick important info to work on. Sometimes, we discuss sensitive matters after a family dinner, and I noticed that it creates a sense of unity and deeper connection within us.
So far, the tradition of my family dinner attracts open communication. Everyone has this freedom to express themselves without rushing for school or work, which usually happens in the morning, thus building stronger family relationships. Let me also add that in my home, you don't eat wherever you wish; it has to be the same place for everyone, as little things like this promote unity in a family.
Wrapping up, this tradition has affected the dynamics of our familial bond positively, and I wouldn't want to change the style but seek more creative ideas to spice up our family dinner session for a better experience.
This post is in response to the #HiveLearners community contest on the topic titled Family Dinner.
Images were taken from canva