Dinner Time!!!

I heard a story on NPR this morning that has made me think, all day. I often hear stories that give me pause, many things are interesting and help me get beyond the minutia of my day, but this story caused me to reevaluate my role as a mother more than anything I have read/heard in a long time.

The story had to do with how time spent at the family dinner table is the greatest predictor of success in a child's life. I've heard this a lot, but dismissed it because my husband gets home too late from work to eat together as a family. I realized there's nothing stopping me from sitting down with my children at the table to have a meal with them instead of standing over them at the island while they eat and I do stuff. I'm sure the results are the same for single parents, the point is time spent with your children.

Over the years, I have found many excuses not to sit down with them:
1. they think the food I like is disgusting, and I don't really feel like eating Mac & Cheese (even though I claim not to be a short order cook, there are very few meals that all of us like)
2. in order for a good evening, I like to feed them around 5-5:30, and I'm not really hungry that early
3. if I sit down with them they constantly ask for things, so I'm standing more than I'm able to sit
4. sometimes it's hard to have 4 different plates of leftovers hot at the same time, so "you eat when your food's ready"

I'm sure I could come up with a million other excuses to continue doing what I've done in the past, but I figure I'm lucky enough to start this now and make it a habit, not when they're 16, 14, & 12.

So I started tonight. This time, the food I made, really was disgusting. #2 wanted drumsticks when we went to Trader Joe's today, but I hate meat on the bones, (especially chicken because all the veins show through), thus I'm not very skilled at this type of preparation. I put it in the crockpot with some cream of chicken soup, and it was gross!!!! Despite the grossness, the four of us sat and talked (well, three of us sat, #3 was done before I finished cutting). #1 told me about her Chinese new year celebration at school, and the significance of dragons and lanterns. I usually ask her on the way home from school to tell me what was fun about her day, or what she had for lunch, or who she sat next to, or what specials she had (I keep asking until she starts talking), but this time, I could actually look at her face while she was talking, instead of having her look at the back of my head while I'm driving. I felt like I actually had time for her and the boys, there was no where else I had to be, and it was GREAT!!!

If you don't already do this with your family, I highly recommend it.