Thoughts on what mealtime represents for families 86 Articles

by Emma Riley Sutton

I was raised in an old-fashioned Southern home that was blessed by being of Irish descent. Mealtime was an adventure. Friends would come over and think they were having a holiday meal. No, it wasn't Christmas or Thanksgivi...read more

by Ryan Dube

There is a change that is taking place in America today, and it is defined by family mealtime. While the 1950's version of the Nuclear Family is in the distant past within society there remains an underlying nostalgi...read more

by Holle Abee

When I was growing up, way back in the sixties, we had a sit-down dinner every night as a family. Everyone did back then, or at least everyone I knew. Nowadays many families don't take the time to practice this daily ritua...read more

by full circle

A spacious kitchen, yet no dining table. All food laid out in bowls in the center and a circle of 6 people around it, sitting on the floor with their plates, laughing, chatting, eating and at times sulking. Most memori...read more

by Rex Coker

Memories of my years of being at the family table when I was young and what it represented to me was about togetherness. A time to reflect back on the days events and joke and laugh about them all. A chance to do my part i...read more

by Robin Tidwell

Mealtimes for families represent much more than feeding the body; a family dinner can be an opportunity for discussion, argument, lecture, comparison, and entertainment - a time for the family to reconnect as a special gro...read more

by Andrew Coln

I was rolls, butter and place mats. My brother James was dressings and gravies. Dad was drinks and ice. Mom, ever the performer, was always the one who brought the serving plates and bowls to the table, brimming with pipin...read more

by Erin Knight

In my house, mealtime is more than just sitting down to eat. It is a time when the whole family comes together as a unit. Being one of the only times during the day, when everybody is there together, it is our time to enjo...read more

by Pamela Kay

Mealtime has always represented both the separating of family members each morning and the gathering together in the evening. We touch base each morning, even if it is only for a quick cup of coffee or a bowl of cereal. We...read more

by Keri Powell

The hustle and bustle of today's society tends to put family dinners on the back burner, so to speak. While breakfast may be the most important meal of the day in terms of nutrition, family dinners are most important in te...read more

by Laura Leigh Fields

More each day, I see commercials on television emphasizing the importance of the family table. I notice that more families are eating out of paper bags. Fewer families are spending meals together. I wonder what has happene...read more

by April Self

My earliest memory, and probably one of my fondest is of my parents, my sisters and I all gathered around the table enjoying Mom's amazing lasagna and each other's company. My mother had this tradition, it was who got the ...read more

by Karen Loudermilk

Meal time means many things to many families. For us it was the beginning of a new day, and the sharing at the end of the day. Breakfast was not a big deal here, cereal and juice, oatmeal, egg sandwich just something v...read more

by James Mockridge.

Family mealtimes for some can be the only time during the day that they share altogether. A time for just the family, amongst the seemingly hectic and continuous life-cycle of the modern world. A time for conversation, for...read more

by Dave Kemp

I think getting together for mealtime is a critical piece of family togetherness. After all, how many activities do we all really share together? A meal is a great reason to sit down and just be together for a period of ...read more

by Kristie Dunlap

Families that share mealtime together, build a bond with each other, that can be a strong support for life. In the early years, divorced with three mouths to feed, and very little support from the "missing father", I bec...read more

by Vicki Brown

In my family, we ate in the dining room and used the good silver. Not because we were snobs but because the kitchen was too small and there was more silver than stainless. The important thing is that we ate together, my mo...read more

by Hartley Engel

Mealtime is an ideal opportunity for families to sit down and enjoy each other's company. It is a time for sharing and familial fellowship. It is a time for storytelling and joke telling. In addition, it is a time for prob...read more

by Jon Coe

Emily and Susan help to set the dinner table. Daddy is pulling the chicken roast out of the oven whilst mommy strains the vegetables. The dinner table looks so tranquil, with it's faded yellow table cloth in the half light...read more

by Lilian Okado

Laughter is brightest, in the place where the food is. - Irish proverb In today's world, family mealtimes seem to be going the way of the dinosaur. Actually in some homes the idea of eating at the table, at the same t...read more