Feasting And Togetherness: The Power Of Family Dinners

In life, our family- siblings, and parents are the important people in our lives. They are the ones who would always provide emotional and physical support, care, and love without expecting anything in return. My dad would always tell us that blood is thicker than water. This phrase means that your family is the closest to you. While other people can go back on their words and hurt you just for selfish interests, your family is the only one that will stand by your side, so we should always prioritize family over other people. I understand that there are some families where siblings or parents hate each other. I've heard stories and read about such happenings. Unlike these examples, my family is a stack example of how supportive family members can be towards one another. Although growing up, we’d always go back and forth against each other, deep down, we know there is unconditional love.

As parents, strengthening family bonds is one of the most important duties we can do in our children’s lives. I know of so many families, who despite being family members, are not close to each other. It is when the family bond is strong that family members can confide in each other during crucial moments. It is the duty of the parents to create strong bonds between themselves and their kids and also among their kids (among the siblings). There are so many ways to strengthen family bonds, and it is up to parents to choose whatever works for them. If a method proves to be ineffective, switch to another.

One of the ways to strengthen family bonds is through family dinners. The importance of family dinners in creating strong bonds cannot be overemphasized. Eating together in the same place, at the same time, and even from the same tables helps strengthen the bond between family, particularly the kids. As I mentioned earlier, there are several methods to strengthen family bonds. Another method is to share the same room and to wear the same thing. In my opinion, when children share the same room, particularly if they are of the same gender, and wear their clothes without saying “this is mine and this is yours. Don't wear what is mine and I will not wear what is yours”. Adopting a mindset where family members cooperate rather than individual ownership, helps build strong family bonds.

How is family dinner in your home? Do family members eat together at the same time and in the same place? Growing up, my mom liked the idea of eating together at the same time and in the same place. She'd often tell us about her childhood and how her mother made all of them eat from the same plate. My mom grew up with 9 siblings. When it was time for dinner, they'd all sit down at their big dining table and their mom would serve them their food on a very big plate. The children ate from the same plate and drank water from the same big cup. According to my mom, she wanted to bring this method in our family, but my dad, on the other hand, was totally against the idea. Apparently, he didn't grow up with his parents. He grew up as a houseboy. Working for his master, they never allowed him to eat with them during dinners. So, my dad didn't like the idea of eating together.

Growing up, during dinner, sometimes, we ate at the same time, but on separate plates. I don’t recollect a time when we all ate from the same plate, although this might have happened a few times. Now that we are all grown, we don’t even eat at the same time anymore. Whenever dinner is ready, you eat whenever you feel like. I'm always the last person to eat dinner. It amazes me whenever I see my friends cook together and eat from the same pot. Sometime last semester, my friends and I cooked together. When the food was ready, he brought it to the room so we'd all eat from the pot. I was really uncomfortable and told him I didn't want it that way. I couldn't bear digging spoons on the same plate. So, he served mine on another plate while the others were together.

I wish I could go back in time and change this. Sadly, it is too late. Yes, family dinner affects family bonds. I think my siblings and I would have been closer if we had grown up eating at the same time and from the same plate, just like my mom did with her siblings. Thankfully, my mom replaced this with another approach. My brother and I had a room and we'd wear each other’s things without complaints, the same thing with my sisters.

Thanks for reading.