Dinnertime

It's been crazy here! Seems like everyone in the house is going in different directions. I know this is 'normal' when kids become teenagers and parents each have their own jobs. It's becoming more difficult to come together for dinnertime!

Dinnertime was always a favorite of mine when growing up. At one point in my life, my paternal grandmother lived with us. It was at the time my mom went back to work. Coming home from school was nice because 'Mom' was there. (My paternal grandmother was called 'Mom". My mother was called Momma.) Mom would have dinner cooking at 4:00pm when my brother and I would be getting home from school. Our parents would be home around 5:30pm and we would sit down at the dinner table and eat. Lots of conversation, silly antics, and eating happened! A great childhood memory for me. My brother kept us laughing! (That would be an entirely separate post!) As we grew up, this special family time became more difficult.

When I moved away from my parents house, I thought it was awesome to have dinner when I wanted and where I wanted. Most of you know how that is....autonomy, self-determination! The ability to make our own decisions! There was no set time or place for dinnertime. For the most part, I ate at restaurants. Lots and lots of restaurants. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Once chldren came along, it was time to regulate dinnertime! I wanted family traditions to continue.

Regulating dinnertime was more difficult than I thought it would be. But we did it! I was lucky enough to be a stay-at-home mommy. I would have dinner ready by the time Danny got home from work. We sat down to eat at the same time, in different staging of chairing (Marisa in a booster, Tony in a high chair).

This continued for years.......dinnertime when Danny got home. As the kids grew older and sporting events crept in, dinnertime was more difficult to manage. Now the kids are in high school and Danny and I each have careers that we are dedicated to. Add in that Danny and I are 'dieting'. One of the stressors for me is to make sure we continue our family dinnertime. Nowadays, we sit at the same table, but we are are all eating different plates of food. Danny and I have started to prep meals on the weekends for easier assembly during the week. Since we are dieting, Danny and I are having our specialized meal. Marisa insists that prepped items are 'gross' so she heats up frozen Taquitos with sour cream and salsa. Tony has already eaten twice before dinner, but he will put together the foods we prepped and grab some of our veggies for a hugh plate of food.

While the dinners themselves are different, bottom line is...we still have our dinnertime.