Bonding over the table

Growing up, we never had anything called “Dinner time”. For each his own was how it was. Whoever was hungry grabbed the grub and was seen munching away in front of the TV or a book. I still like doing this. But after marriage, Sanjay was adamant that we sit together for dinner, for him it seemed to be the most important part of the day and as a person who would agree to almost everything I demanded, this was one thing he refused to give in to. And I used to wonder what the big deal was all about. After 6 yrs of frequent dinner times together, I know.

You are in a fast paced life. Daily grind, duties, responsibilities and the list can go on. Dinner time is one time I found that can slow this pace, make you relaxed, nourish your body through a good home cooked meal and strengthen your family bonding. Really? All this? Yes people, its true. This time is when kids can emulate your eating habits. Its when stories are webbed out and its when the sense of humour is the best, its when your days events are brought out like a daily journal, its when you can show off that recipe you have been dying to cook all this while and more.

Its been said that family dinner fosters learning for kids who get exposed to a broader vocabulary via discussions.
It provides a stronger family identity.
Kids eat better with family and get better nutrition.
Parents get to know the days events.
It provides an amiable atmosphere to problem solving.

For me, it’s the pleasure I get in watching my hubby enjoy my cooking and getting to know his day and him getting to know mine. And, we bond, all over again. It’s a different thing though when the discussion comes on about who does the dishes. Well…not us ..the maid comes over. I had to do some cracking like this coz I cant write serious stuff for a long time.

When I decided to blog this it wasn’t just to fill up the blog list…but to let you folks know that life is short. Work is always constant. never ceases. And when you die..you wont be thinking about that project you are working on now or your manager. You look around at your dear ones staring at your face and you will wonder where all the time went. Look at it like this, you have to eat anyway, so eat with your family. So use that dining table for what it is meant to be. For bonding with the people you love the most.