This is What Perfect Looks Like
April 14, 2008
One member of my family can never seem to make it to the table without be called half a dozen times. (We are not naming names here, but he knows who he is.) Another always regards the food on her plate with suspicion, poking a fork into whatever is served, as if looking for worms.
But why should I bore you with my own family's imperfections? IÕm sure you can come up with a few examples right in your own home.
In our saner moments, we know that nobody is perfect, that no family sits around grinning and exuding love night after night. Still, it's easy to let some cockeyed idea of the way things should be get in our way of enjoying the way that things are.
I am not saying you should accept behavior that is boorish or hurtful or infantile (except when it comes from infants.) Perfection may never be attainable, but there's no reason we can't work toward being pretty darn good.
Which, in real life, is pretty darn good enough.
Mealtimes Matter Video
from Miriam Weinstein
About Miriam
Miriam Weinstein is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. As a journalist, she has won several awards from the New England Press Association. Her work has appeared in Boston Magazine, the Boston Globe magazine, Hope, and ParentSource. A former staff member for North Shore Weeklies and freelancer for Essex County Newspapers, she writes restaurant reviews and food columns as well as features on a wide variety of subjects. She lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with her husband and has two grown children.
The Surprising Power of Family Meals
In her book, The Surprising Power of Family Meals, Miriam Weinstein shows how this basic human institution helps nourish and strengthen our families today. You can buy this book from our friends at Smucker's® Online Store.
