Just Call Me June Cleaver....

Whatever happened to dinner? You know that evening meal when everyone gathered and ate real food, off real plates, with real silverware and napkins and engaged in conversation with each other. I asked my students how many of them ate dinner together at night with their families and you can guess what the poll revealed...about 3 out of every 25. Life is different now. I think I am a dinosaur and so do my students. I believe that it matters. Food is a bonding experience and not only do families eat at different times now but they also dine in different rooms...bedroom for dinner anyone?

This all came to light last weekend when we had some dinner guests, young dinner guests. Son #3 was thinking that sitting at the table was really not necessary. Oh, but it was. And then we had to decide who sat where because we don't know anymore. We had assigned seats in our old house. Everyone knew where they belonged. We moved here after the kids had left home and we just have not decided where we go now. So, Chad (one of our guests) choose a chair and declared it his seat. Tim move over, you have been replaced! And we ate together and remained at the table for about 30 minutes afterward just talking. It was great. It was as it should be. Restaurants are nice but the quiet of the kitchen table beats everything. Family time!

I am teaching etiquette and we are going to watch an episode of "Leave it to Beaver"..in black and white. They are going to see June dressed in pearls and heels serving dinner to her family at the dining room table with a table cloth, and all of the finery needed to eat a proper meal. It is not odd to me. I was raised that way. No, my mom did not wear pumps and pearls but she did insist on dining together and we did ask to be excused when we were finished eating.

And when my students finish watching life in the 50's and listening to this dinosaur talk about life back then, they are going to learn what side of the plate the knife and fork and napkin go on and someday they will realize that a little manners never hurt anyone.