FOOD FOR THE SOUL AS WELL AS THE BODY
After the busyness of Thanksgiving week I am back to talk about problems at the meal table.Some mothers tell me that their children have conversations with one another at the table and they as parents tune out. Dear mothers, can I remind you that you and your husband decide what happens at your table. Not the children! We as parents create the world we want in our home. We create the atmosphere. We determine what happens at the family meal table.
When I prepare the food for our evening meal, I not only think about food for the body, but food for the soul. I find it is as important to think about what we will speak about at the table as what we will eat. If my husband and I do not bring a question or a subject to discuss to the table, the conversation goes nowhere. It’s usually about nothing. Or small talk that is a waste of time. Is that what you find at your table?
You can change that! Come to the table prepared with a subject to talk about. Of course, this will depend on the season and ages of your children. If you have little children, bring a very simple question such as “What was the best thing you did today?” Encourage each child to share and then Daddy and Mommy must also talk about the best thing that happened to them. It’s for the whole family.
As your children get older you can bring subjects to the table to discuss—fun topics, political, geographical, spiritual, or biblical. Here’s one that our children loved when growing up. We often asked this question as they never tired of it: “If you were given a million dollars, what would you do with it?”
Get every child to have their turn, including mother and father. No one is exempt. No one is left out. Even in the midst of a large family, each child receives their own personal attention. When each child has their turn, they are the center of attention from their mother and father and the rest of the family. They hold the floor!
I have to confess that our children were rather loud and very opinionated who became more opinionated the older they got older! However, we didn’t allow them to take over. We allowed them to freely express their opinions, which we loved them to do, but they had to take turns! My husband was always the umpire!
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
Picture: A family from the 1930’s. You know ladies, it’s so sad. It’s hard to find up-to-date pictures of families sitting together around the meal table today. I wonder if that is because not so many families are sitting together for their meals now. If you have any good pictures, I’d love to receive them from you at nThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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