In Making Room for Life, Randy Frazee makes the case for a rather ambitious evening activity—the two-hour family meal, seven days a week. He suggests making it the time for families to connect as they prepare, share, and clean-up the evening’s meal. It also means that all work & homework has to be done by 6 pm, and nothing else is done between 6:00 and 8:00.
I’m not entirely sure what I think of this idea, but I think that I like it. (I’m more used to the eat-fast-and-go-in-different-directions model of dinner). I raised it with my family, and their response surprised me quite a bit. I figured that my 13-old-son would object, for that’s time he could spend IM'ing with friends, playing X-box, or whatever else eighth-graders want to do with their time. Instead he was the most enthusiastic about the idea. He immediately said that he wanted us to do it every night of the week and that we should start the next day. (My six-year-old also liked the idea, perhaps because the 13-year-old did). It was Cathy and me who were hesitant. Somehow that feels like a lot of work.
We’ll see what happens, but I think that I’ve underestimated the importance of family time to my soon to be independent son.
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I’m not entirely sure what I think of this idea, but I think that I like it. (I’m more used to the eat-fast-and-go-in-different-directions model of dinner). I raised it with my family, and their response surprised me quite a bit. I figured that my 13-old-son would object, for that’s time he could spend IM'ing with friends, playing X-box, or whatever else eighth-graders want to do with their time. Instead he was the most enthusiastic about the idea. He immediately said that he wanted us to do it every night of the week and that we should start the next day. (My six-year-old also liked the idea, perhaps because the 13-year-old did). It was Cathy and me who were hesitant. Somehow that feels like a lot of work.
We’ll see what happens, but I think that I’ve underestimated the importance of family time to my soon to be independent son.
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2 comments:
sounds like so much to gain at so small a cost. go for it.
we can't sit around for dinner for 2 hours, the chairs are too hard. but we sit around for at least 30. if dishes are included, we stopped using the dishwasher, then add in another 30, but its not done together. i'll do more of that with them. we've also gotten the habit of me reading something from the Bible at dinner. right now i'm reading the NT part of a daily 1 year Bible. now that provokes some heavy questions sometimes from a 5 year old to an 11 year old.
God is good
jpu
Sounds like you're doing some good stuff. I know what you mean about kids asking tough questions!
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