We Eat Dinner as a Family

Our family eats dinner on paper plates now. We eat the same seven meals on repeat. Each kid has at least one other kid that they refuse to sit next to. Sometimes, someone eats and runs out to an activity right after. Many meals, one of the kids opts into pb&j instead of what I cooked. Everyone triggers my misophonia and I scold everyone to “eat with your mouth closed!” on repeat. Everyone talks over everyone. When we say it’s time for family devotions, we get a collective groan. Often, someone cries.

But. We eat dinner as a family.

We sit together and eat and talk. We each share our “high-low” of the day. When we read the Bible together, we realize the kids are remembering and starting to understand! The kids help each other and work together. We laugh and tell jokes and sometimes even dance. There are no phones, no screens, no distractions. The beginnings of real life actual table manners are sprouting. The kids take turns praying for dinner and sometimes the prayers are just so tender and beautiful. The kids eat vegetables now without complaining. And our family has set aside time where we break bread, look each other in the eyes, and talk and connect and enjoy being a family. 🤍