True Confessions.

Dinner time is no longer my favourite time of the day. It once was, but then 3 gorgeous blessings entered our world and dinner time became, let’s just say, ‘interesting’.

A year or so ago we were going through a particularly challenging season of dinner time antics. “You sat there last night, it’s my turn/Why is there broccoli on my plate?/He’s looking at me/I’ve spilled my drink/He’s kicking me under the table/You know I hate this meal/Something smells funny/Mum, the tomato sauce is all over the chair/I spilled my drink again” and so it would go on……

One especially bad evening, when I wanted to lay my head in my mash and weep, I had a thought. I ordered everyone to stop eating, go and get a pen and piece of paper and we began to set out some meal time rules for our family.

Here is the list of 10 we came up with. No edits or additions.

1. Be thankful to God for the food even if you don’t like it.
2. Try everything on your plate, you just might love it!
3. When you hear ‘Dinners Ready’, come straight away.
4. No screens allowed- iPhone, iPad, iPod, DS etc
5. Try and listen to the person talking and wait your turn to speak.
6. Ask to leave the table, otherwise, stay seated.
7. Use your cutlery.
8. No stinky farts.
9. Keep your arms and legs to yourself.
10. No rugby balls or soccer balls to be kicked in the house at dinner time.

I must say we did in time add number 11 – if you cannot sit still, you may go outside and run 5 laps of the house and then return to your chair where you need to finish your dinner. (I can hear all the parents of boys out there shouting ‘AMEN’ to that)

Despite the madness, we have decided to keep persevering with meal times as a family around the table. When they were really little, the kids ate so early, there was no way Dad could be home from work in time, so we would make more of an effort on weekends. As they get older, the kids actually get busier in the evenings, but we still set the table, light a candle and eat dinner together as many nights a week as possible. What keeps us persevering through this season is picturing the end game.  We want our boys to grow up valuing the coming together as a family at the end of the day.  It is often over a meal that some of our best relationship moments happen.  I was privileged to have this modelled as a priority in my home growing up, and still to this day, I love to gather with my parents and siblings and their families and share a meal. It’s crazy, messy and loud at times, but it’s worth it.

So, if you are in the early years of parenting – persevere with meal times, however they look in your family.

Just the other week, we sat down at the table, and after saying ‘thanks to God for our food’, my 3 year old looked up at me and said ” So how was your day mum?”  Again I wanted to weep, but this time with happiness, that they just might be getting it after all.