Family Dinner?

Many define "family dinner" as an everyday occurrence where everyone gathers over a wonderful meal to share stories and laugh together. Most importantly, though, everyone sees it as the best way to connect as a family. That doesn't necessarily ring true though, as you'll see through the great example of my own schedule challenged family.

Yes, of course we gather to eat. (While we're on the subject of eating, I feel it's important to add that both of my parents are wonderful chefs, so the quality of food is not the issue here.) But, the definition of "we" has changed over the course of the last two years. My entire family used to be on the exact same schedule. My sister and I were at school, and my parents worked the same hours. We would all be home at dinnertime, and therefore we would always eat dinner together. Look at us, eating green chile chicken enchiladas and laughing about my sister's all-girl high school or the crazy people my dad worked with. It was a cliché family dinner, and it worked for us. Then my sister left to further her education. And then my mom got more night hours. And then my dad started a different job. As a result, family dinners soon became a thing of rarity. Now, with only three in our family home, and mom not being home until later, family dinners consist of my dad and I. Dinner had become a time where my dad tries new recipes and where we talk about art or the news or something else that interests my father. Don't get me wrong, I love my dad and he's hilarious, but he's often incredibly quiet or isn't hungry at the same time I am, so sometimes dinner is just with the fantastic company of myself (and our incessantly begging dogs). Hey, that's okay with me sometimes, but others, I miss those crazy people I call my family. I especially missed us laughing together and sharing those ridiculous stories that made us the strong family we wanted to be. Not to fret though, because we started to use different times to communicate. Now the 7:00 AM car rides to school are filled with the stories of stupid Yahoo headlines and updates from my sister. And now our Friday nights consist with us in the family room, listening to Bossa Nova: Around the World as my mother researches kennels (which, by the way, we are in the market for an Airedale puppy if you happen to know a good breeder). It's okay that our dinners are different.

I'm not saying that family dinners aren't important. No, I'm merely saying that you can achieve the same outcome of the great "Family Dinner" through different settings. And hey, when you find what works for your family, it doesn't matter if there's food or not.