Sunday Dinner – Connecting with Family

I recently read a quote by Bob Ehrlich that said, “Some of the most important conversations I’ve ever had occurred at my family’s dinner table.”

I decided to title my blog posts, Sunday Dinner because growing up I remember having big family dinners where Sundays we sat together as a family and enjoyed the delicious meals prepared by my mom. But more than the meal we shared, Sunday dinners were a time where we slowed down and talked. We shared what we learned at church that Sunday and how are weeks had gone. Often, we had extended family members to stop by and were able to catch up on the goings on in their lives. In short, we were building relationships with one another that remains intact to this day.

It was at my family’s dinner table that I learned about how my grandparents came to be married. It was at my family’s dinner table that I discovered where I wanted to go to college. It was at my family’s dinner table that I learned about the achievements and accomplishments of my family members. It was at my family’s dinner table that I realized that one day I wanted to have a family and home of my own where I can continue these traditions of family dinners.

In our modern society with all of its smart phones, tablets, internet access, and technological advances that does not always leave room for nurturing relationships because we are so focused on our screens, we could afford to take a step back and go back to the old school family dinners where we did not have cell phones at the table, where we could not answer the phone when dinner was taking place, where we connected with one another and built strong familial bonds. 

I agree with the quote, that my most important conversations occurred at my family’s dinner table. So, I challenge all of us this year to take a step back, take a break from the technology and go back to having family dinners where we really connect with one another and build healthy relationships. I believe that if we went back to nurturing our relationships with our families the majority of the societal ills and violence that we see taking place would not happen. In 2018, let’s go back to more family dinners, especially on Sunday.

Creating Lifestyles for Success,

Dr. Daphne

The picture below is my family and I connecting around the table at my doctoral graduation celebration. Further illustrating how important the family dinner table is.