“Who’s ever at the door, we’re eating!” I can still hear my father’s voice calling out that phrase at the dinner table. While growing up, dinner was a set-in-stone event in our household. Six-o’clock – be there or be square. Once my brother and I left home, my parents continued on the tradition. Meals to them were very important.
So, what has happened to dinner in our culture? Somehow, it has become more of a counter-eating, catch-as-catch-can thing rather than a pivotal point in the day, where spouses and/or families reconnect. Sitting down and eating with your mate, whether the kids are present or not, is so, so important for your relationship. Sharing a meal is a very emotionally intimate thing to do. It bonds you for the following reasons:
1. It fulfills a joint need – hunger.
2. It gives you a chance to share in the joy of whatever you’re tasting.
3. It forces you to slow down enough to digest your food and hopefully digest what each of you are saying.
4. It reminds you that you are a team that has worked to buy, prepare, cook, and eat the food in front of you.
To learn more about the value of a shared meal to the relationship with your mate and/or your children, click here.
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