table culture

Saturday night, Jill sat with us at dinner for maybe the 3rd time in her life. It was the cutest! She typically eats earlier and has an earlier bedtime. 

Having all seven of us at a relatively small table really made us feel like a lot of people. 

I hesitate to make any claims about mothering successes because, wow, I've been humbled many times. But if I had to choose one thing I'm really proud of, I would say we have a strong family table culture. We consistently eat meals together and the conversations are good and always getting better! We talk about silly things like celebrity crushes and what happened at school that day. We also cover deep and controversial topics about current events and theology. 

The table also gives us ample opportunity to touch on what NOT to talk about. We work on manners -- not interrupting, chewing with your mouth closed, and serving yourself reasonable portions. That last one is a big for me...not wasting food!

As many times as we've sat at the table together, you'd think we'd have mastered more in the manners department, but we are still on this journey and trust me it is a long one. 

Somehow we've managed to not get too involved in sports that take us away from regular family dinners. At least a couple nights a week, someone is missing, gone to a youth group event or a friend's house. It's  nice to mix it up. This summer we've had several meals with just one or two children home at a time. Lovely.

About six months ago we started reading a very short Bible passage at the close of the meal. We take turns reading. I have always wanted to do this since being inspired by The Hiding Place. I love how the Bible was the centerpiece of the ten Boom home and was read and appreciated as a group. 

Lastly, cleaning. I'm working on getting the whole family involved in clean up. The kids push back, but after a day of feeding all the people, mama needs help! It takes so little for the group to do it and so much effort if left to one person. 

Our rich times at the table have come together slowly over many years. Our little (or big?) Spooner family table culture has been built a bit at a time, mostly around a tea candle in a ball jar, paper napkins, and lots bowls of soup...and bread. 

And of course we have casual nights where we eat around the TV. 

Here's a few of my favorite books that inspired me along the way especially when my kids were younger.

French Kids Eat Everything

Dinner a Love Story

How to Celebrate Everything

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