So before I give my opinion on a topic like this I think I need to give you guys a little insight to how I grew up. I am a northerner; where I come from it seems like we prioritise external ties a lot. So most of the time you’d find in homes there are external ties living everywhere. This is a common practice in the northern part of where I come from.
Do I like it? No. I wouldn’t say I don’t like it because that is now I am, I believe I don’t like it because I was brought up in a nuclear family type of setting. Ever since I was a kid I’ve been leaving with just me, my parents and my siblings. If any of the boys gets married they go elsewhere and start their own families. It’s very uncommon to see my brother live with us after getting married.
So at the end this cycle of the nuclear kind of setting never ends cause that was how we grew up. Now, I am a twin and as far as I can remember I and my brother never ate together whiles growing up. I remember one day we travelled and when it was time to eat they served my twin brother and I in one plate.
At first it was confusing cause that is not how we have even brought up. For the one who served us, she thought since we are twins we obviously do things together so that also meant we ate together. That was not the case in this situation though.
In my house we have a system where we all eat when we want to. Whether it has to do with breakfast, lunch or super. There’s not set time for breakfast in my house. Unlike some families where everyone needs to come out and sit at the dining table when it’s time to eat.
Yes, we do have a dining table, which is mostly used by my father for his meals. The rest of us eat in our rooms cause we find it convenient. Convenient as in you can eat and play with your devices without your mother constantly telling you to eat and to stop pressing your phone.
Do I think that eating together has any impact on family time? For me, I think that it does. Family bonding can happen anywhere and one of the easiest places for that to happen is at the dining table where everyone is seated. At the dining table discussions happen there between siblings, parents to children and also parent to parent.
It is at this point that whiles the children are talking parents get to correct some of the wrong ideas that they have. I say this cause since they are ok with speaking freely in front of their parents they say things which are sometimes incorrect and the parent can get the chance to correct it.
Another impact that It can have is it makes everyone to be time conscious. This is not obviously about family bonding but then it helps in the long run.
Will I like to maybe one day make family bonding happen at dining? Well, I don’t think I can even if I wanted to. I am so much used to eating alone now that I won’t force my kids to do it if they don’t want to.
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Family Diner is indeed very important as it not just promote bonds as family but a time for parents to nurture their wards eating habits which I find all your points interesting.
Thanks for sharing dr.
Yep this is very true.
I use to eat supper with my parents whilst watching news when I was younger till I got a phone 😂
hehe, this phone matter dierrr. They hate the phone as well so you can't eat with them and be using your phone🤣
Ikr 😂