Day 69 - Have Dinner As A Family

With a family of 5 it is really hard to have dinners together as a family. Lately, I have made that a priority. Whether we eat at 4:30 or 8:30, I plan dinner around a hectic schedule that is not always easy to manage.

Tonight we ate together for the 4th night in a row! A streak like that seems like a miracle around here. Of course, we did not sit down until my husband got home at 7:00. Who cares though, we had a lot of laughs around the table. I really think eating as a family is a bonding experience.

I try to always ask everyone how their day was. I even stoop so low as to ask the kids what they did at school. It seems incredible to me that they can spend 8 hours there and yet do nothing! Years ago we required that they come up with 3 things that did at school each day. Over the years the list has changed a bit, but it is not uncommon to hear :1. went to recess 2. ate lunch 3. came home. Rarely do I hear them discuss a thought provoking conversation that they had at school or a piece of literature that has inspired them to be the next great American author. Instead we hear about a boy on the bus who is really mean because he told our youngest that she talks too much (if you knew Maeghan, you would know that she does in fact talk too much). Or, we hear about how much our oldest embarrasses his sister at an after school club they are both in.

It really doesn't matter to me though. I love these conversations because it gives me a window into their day. I can't be with them all day, and I really don't need to be with them all day. But, it is nice to know that we have carved a little bit of our day around having dinner together.