Less than half of American families sit down together for even one meal a week! I'm Elisa Morgan with a look at “The Family Table” next on MOMSense.
Do you remember the table of your childhood where your family gathered to eat meals together? In her recent column in MOMSense Magazine, Carol Kuykendall wrote about that place and space where so much of the together-life of her family happened. Here's her description:
“The family table of my childhood was an oblong glass table that my mother inherited from an old-maid aunt. It was far too fancy for our informal lifestyle, but my mother insisted it set a genteel tone for family meals with four rambunctious children. I don't remember much about the food that was served on that table, but I remember that we each had our unassigned -- but totally official -- place to sit, and we counted on our dinner routine, which was the only time in the day that our family came together.
“Dinnertime marked a special spot, kind of like the comma between afternoon and evening. It was the only time when the plural became singular around that table. It was the time we connected and counted on each other. To pass the salt. To tell the story of the disaster that happened on the school bus. To say grace. To share feelings and failures and funny stuff.”
Carol concludes by adding, “That family table was like a visual aid to the importance of connecting with each other.”
The table is where the funny and poignant family stories get shared. Do you have one that would encourage another woman in her role as a mom? Then write it down and submit to one of our Mom's Writing Contest. For rules and information, you're welcome to visit us at http://www.MOPS.org/.
And join me here again, for MOMSense.