No Txting at the Dinner Table

When I was a little girl, we always ate dinner at the dining room table as a family. At dinner time, I would properly set the table with the dinner and salad fork on the left side of the plate and the knife and spoon set on the right side of the plate.  We would turn the television off and then all of us would sit down together and say the blessing. The meal itself wasn't fancy, but it was a time where we all came together.

Presently, in this very fast-paced technological world that we live in, getting everyone to sit down at the table together is no small task. Since it was such an important part of my childhood, I have tried to have the same sit down meals with my own family. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't happen every night of the week. Four out of seven days of the week, one of us has some kind of extracurricular activity. But on the nights that we all are home, we do manage to sit down at the table for a family meal.

The family dinner table is a place where we can come together to share the day's events and talk about our plans for the week. After a long day at school or work, the dinner table is a place where we can unwind and tell each other about how we are feeling. Somehow, this simple act of breaking bread together brings us all closer and keeps us in touch with one another.

There are two things that I ask of my children and husband when we are sitting down for a meal. The first one is that we turn off the television and the second one is no texting at the dinner table. My oldest son has a hard time letting go of his phone for dinner so we have asked him to leave it in his bedroom. Otherwise, the temptation is just too much when his phone vibrates.

If you are experiencing a disconnect from your family and you want to bring everyone closer together, then why not try sitting down at the dinner table and sharing some dialogue. Unplug from all the electronics that we have grown reliant on and engage in some family time. You have to eat anyway, so why not share a meal. It is a good habit to get into and promotes a strong family bond. Trust me when I say, the family dinner table won't solve all the problems of the world, but together as a family, you sure as heck can try.