I will start with the confession:
I do not like eating dinner with my children.
Yes, me, the family therapist, does not like eating dinner with her children.
Coming together for dinner has been promoted as the holy grail of a healthy family for as long as I can remember but most nights, my husband and I choose to eat together after the kids go to bed.
I can go on and on about why we choose this but the long and short is this:
It is difficult to enjoy both the food and the experience when eating with a 5 yo and a 10 yo.
I want to have my cake and eat it too
{story of my life these days}
and so
We provide them with a meal and I sit with them at the table
while my husband stands in the space between the kitchen and dining room.
While they eat,
we chat about the day, we chat about current events, we crack jokes together, and
my husband manages their additional requests for silverware, water, more food, less food, different food, and...
I don't know if it can be considered the golden standard of family meals but
they get fed and we get family time -
and later in the evening,
I also get to enjoy a meal and conversation with my spouse
{without interruption}
