Sunday, February 10, 2013

Dinner table discussions...

The fine art of dining as a family is quickly becoming a lost art, I'm sad to say. My mother fought hard to make sure that we had family dinners 5 or more nights a week. I am so grateful for her persistence. We worked through a lot of heavy things around the table. We had games and light hearted discussions. We had devotions....we had lessons on proper etiquette. Sometimes we did not want to be at the table. Bad attitudes and parents who had reached their limits...news of ailing family and friends. Subjects that plain put one off their dinner. But all the dinners were important. Even the one where I wouldn't eat what was offered so I sat at the table until bedtime and then had it served up to me for breakfast...cold. Even the beef stroganoff and chicken tetrazini meals...sorry Mom, but yuck. And she is a GIFTED cook.

Tonight we had family dinner together and it was, well, different. First off, the hub was in pain, I was hacking from allergies and the boy was hacking as well. Seemed like some sort of medical ward in there. I got on a kick a few years back of buying educational placemats for the kids. Some of them had letters and numbers, some had the solar system, and tonight's had the presidents...up through George W. Bush. I got it a few years ago. So right out of the box, one of the kids asked, "Mom, were you born when Eisenhower was president?". D'oh. That was harsh. Next I sadly learned how little our school system has taught our children about the leaders of our country. I learned of the exploits of "Ruverfer Black Hay" and "Jim K. Pork" and their travels to form our great country of Finland. The boy added the country's name. Appropriate, I guess. I weep for our future "Jeopardy" players.

Tonight we laughed, we argued, we shushed. The hub and our smacked our heads a few times. But we were together. Working it out together...and I'll never stop fighting for that precious time.


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