The thought of having a nice dinner together after a busy day at school and work seemed like the right thing to do. I dreamed of having our whole family together sharing amazing conversations about their day and about their thoughts. That is not exactly how it turned out.
Our kids would fight instead of talk. Kelly thought her brothers were chewing too loudly and smacking their lips while eating. Kelly and Corey are both left handed so they had to be positioned at the table just right so they didn’t hit a right handed kid. Chad would tease his sister and brothers and Bryan and Corey would instigate trouble. It wasn’t what I dreamed of and I really wanted to find a solution.
Mark was our cook and almost always prepared a well-balanced meal so the least we could do was sit and enjoy his prepared food and each other. After many nights of fighting, Mark and I decided to make dinner a little more special, especially if we weren’t in a hurry to attend an evening event. We started by setting the table, turning down the lights, putting soft music on and lighting some candles. At first our kids thought it was a corny idea but they eventually accepted it and liked it, plus it stopped some of the fighting.
As our kids got a little older, they would invite friends from school to have dinner with us. I think some of the friends enjoyed our candlelit dinners and others thought it was silly. Whatever it was, it helped us find some harmony at the dinner table, most days.
Live Simple, Love Like Crazy 