I can vividly remember when I was growing up with my parents and the manner in which my mom specifically carried eating together as a family on her head.
Although we didn't have much financially, my mom would always encourage togetherness through our meals, especially lunch and dinner. No matter how hungry you can be, and if all family members aren't complete, you have to exercise a little patience as long as the person missing is within the family environment. Mum made it look like a mini celebration for most of our eating time, and magically, the food always tastes better when we share together in one large tray and not on personal plates like I do with my kids nowadays. 😃
Now that I am a full-grown woman with my own family and kids of my own, I can't really say that I mimic this family eating tradition Mum nurtured us with back then. Even though I do that once in a while with my own family here, I am never consistent with having everyone in my home eat together except on weekends.
To be sincere, there is something about dinner time in movies that got me captivated and was also one of my driving forces in purchasing our dining table when we did so. I think I love how those actors demonstrate togetherness in movies while dining as a family. I love how they tell stories in between, the laughter, and the bond I picture them having at the dining table just makes everything look so beautiful, and then everyone feels a kind of sense of belonging. It's usually beautiful to behold those moments, and seeing such always reminds me of the need to observe family mealtime together, with no one missing.
But then, life in Lagos will humble you. My husband usually gets stuck in Lagos traffic, something I can call an unavoidable situation over here, and of course, I can't keep the kids waiting; sometimes, hunger knocks at their doors just before our mealtime, maybe after drilling them with their homework, and they must eat. In fact, most times, they eat differently depending on when one finishes his schoolwork. As for me, there are always unending chores that I would love to attend to in the kitchen, thereby making me be the last person to eat my food after serving others. I just prefer to eat after I am done for the day, one of the habits preventing me from turning this into a tradition in my family.
But then...
I think I shouldn't allow busyness to creep into an activity that could strengthen our family bond. The little time we really observed our family dining table diligently, I felt the difference; hubby could crack jokes, and everyone laughed over it. Sometimes he says silly things to shift the boys attention, and he takes their meat and hides it in the process 😃. The kids will be screaming in laughter doing an ultimate search for their meat; it's usually fun…lol.
Indeed, we can achieve family togetherness in the little things and not necessarily when we plan for a mini vacay or whatever. I am just here reflecting on those fun memories created at the dining table and how it fosters connection within us as a family.
I think it's time to make the needed change!