Community Corner
Family Time - Bring It Off the Back Burner
The kitchen table is more than just a place to eat. It's a place to catch up. Mayor declares Sept. 26 "Family Day" — a time to eat dinner with your children.
Today’s kitchens are elaborate in every sense of the word. They are filled with the latest electronics and just about every gadget that Williams and Sonoma has to offer. But, it seems that few families have time to enjoy the space that, more than any other room in the house, equates to warmth and family values. More often than not, the family kitchen sits empty during most meal times while family members stand before a fast food counter, trying to decide the evening’s fare.
Our fast-paced society has pushed the concept of family togetherness, particularly at mealtime, into the archives of yesteryear.
You know we’ve got a problem, when the mayor has to issue a proclamation in support of family dinners. Oh, you forgot that the proclamation is for today, Sept. 26? So really, who cares? It doesn’t matter when we start having meals together, it’s like everything else … just start. If we need the mayor to prime the pump, then great!
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Maybe it’s not possible to sit down together around the kitchen table every night. But maybe now, more than ever, it’s important to plan at least once a week for a family dinner.
Think about it before you say, “but there is no way, we’ve just got too many places to be, too many things to do, we are all on different schedules.” Maybe those are exactly the reasons why, as family members, we need to make it a priority to spend time with each other.
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The kitchen table is more than just a place to eat. It’s a place to catch up with one another’s lives, one another’s plans, hopes and dreams. It’s a place to ask questions, joke and listen. It’s a place to let our children know what we care about them, and to let them see and hear how we make decisions and even what manners are all about.
Families are the backbone of our society. We can do society and ourselves a great favor if we quit putting family time on the backburner. It’s time to move it to the very top of our to-do list.
The kitchen table, even if it is filled with fast food, can be a place for slow times and memorable moments with our family members. This is the place where our children are learning what family life is all about.
