Article written by guest writer & anonymous author, Mind Your Manners
Have you noticed that families rarely sit down for dinner anymore? Many families aren’t even home for dinner time these days. They’re at ballet or baseball practice or PTA meetings or Church functions. Often times, Mom has one child here. Dad has one child there. The baby’s in the carseat along for the ride. People are busy. They are overcommitted and straining themselves and their children. It is a true rat race with no finish line in sight.
We should get back to sit-down family dinners, and I’ll tell you why.
Together dinner time is daily, sacred time. It’s a time for spouses to catch up on each other’s day. It’s a time for children to witness this conversation and learn from it. It’s a time for children to also share about their day, when it’s their turn to share. A time for them to learn table manners like how to properly use a knife to cut their food or to say excuse me to enter an adult conversation.
Family dinner, like church or time on the sabbath, is a gathering place. The blessing may be said. Family sharing of the day commences to acknowledge each other, uninterrupted by any outside source for thirty minutes to an hour. It’s a time to respect the meal before you and those who prepared or provided it. It’s a time to eat, to digest, to laugh, to cry, to learn from your elders, to learn table manners and to soak in the wisdom of those around you.
In an era where it is uncommon, let’s work to revive sit-down family dinners and make a conscious effort to schedule that quality time into our busy, daily lives.
Article written by guest writer & anonymous author, Mind Your Manners
thehomesteadkings.com 
Well said. When my youngest was in 10th Grade which was about 15 years ago, a teacher asked the class how many of them had a sit-down supper on a regular basis. My daughter was the only one who raised her hand. Yes it may have been at 3:30 when Dad got home from work and before the kids all went to after school jobs, but we ate together as a family. Plus we avoided that which makes for the ‘rat race’. Raising a family should not be a rat race because nobody wins. Good words today.
Exactly! It’s such special family time!
I grew up that way and think it was a good thing for the reasons stated. Though if I was alone, I could do without supper. My husband and I agreed that we would eat our evening meal together and we still do. It’s important in any relationship.
Reblogged this on Millennial Grandma Chic.