Dinner Time Rhythm

I remember family dinners in my home as a child fondly. As a family we sat down to dinner, at the table, most nights of the week. They were fun, tasty and sometimes serious. In our home now, Justin, Reece and I sit down to dinner together as a family, at the table, every night, except Tuesday, when I am off to teach for the evening.

Until recently we had not set a formal dinner time rhythm. We eat at the same time each night, we eat at the table, we say a “story” as Reece calls it, before our meal and we enjoy our food together. That was our rhythm and it worked for us...until recently.  For about a week now Reece has been putting up a bit of a struggle at dinner time. I am pretty sure it is just the transition to dinner which is the problem. He seems to get very involved with whatever he is playing with and finds it difficult to leave it to come to dinner, nothing unusual for a toddler.

So, the last few days Justin and I have worked on a more formal dinner time rhythm, and I am happy to say it is working wonderfully.

So here it is!

When I am about ten minutes away from serving dinner, Justin gathers up Reece and the two of them set the table. We have added a dinner time candle to our meals, and Reece comes to the kitchen to get it from me. He proudly places it on the table and watches intently as Justin lights it.

By the time they are finished, I have dinner ready to be served. We all sit down, say our “story” (our dinner blessing) and then enjoy our meal together, without the struggle.

How do you avoid the dinner time struggle in your home?