Mark Your Calendars!
January 2, 2008
Did you know...seventy-eight percent of families say that they have a family dinner at least a few times a week.
As we break out the brand new calendars and make notes to ourselves about what we would like to do better, can I put in a plug here for scheduling supper? As in — write it on your calendar, and let your family know that you expect them at a particular time.
Of course, once you set up your framework, you can decide how serious you want to be about sticking to it. In some families, it's wouldn't it be nice. In others, it's we expect you unless you're having a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
However you do it, saying it out loud, and clearing a place for it on your schedules is the first step. There's an old joke about a man who has faith that the memory of his beloved mother is going to help him win the lottery. After months of not winning anything, he complains loudly and bitterly. Then, he hears her distinctive voice: "First you have to buy a lottery ticket."
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.
