New Year can mean NEW OPPORTUNITIES.
We hear this statement all the time but…could it be true?
I have been reflecting on the things I wanted to achieve by the end of 2022 and, as I was looking at my list, I realised that I had achievements around health and exercise, my faith, my marriage, money, my job, but nowhere on my list did I have anything about improving my conversations with my family. Nowhere on my list did I talk about the dedication to my family and growing deeper with them together, not just individually. Nowhere on my list did I talk about talking well together around food. As I stared at that list, I decided that 2023 will be different and that I am going to make sure this is of highest priority.
I am going to embrace a NEW OPPORTUNITY.
What about you? What will be different for you and your family in 2023?
If eating together as a family has not been a thing you do very often, I would like to encourage you to make this a priority at least once per week in 2023. You can even ‘gamify’ it a bit and celebrate once you reach 10 weeks in a row, or 20 weeks etc. On those celebration days, maybe you don’t have dinner at home but instead go out for dinner. Maybe you give some rewards for those who are at the table first those nights. Be creative!
If eating together is a thing you have done a lot then try incorporating The Table Talk Project Model of Entrée (The food you prepare and eat), the Main (The conversation starters) and Dessert (The check-in). See how your relationships with those at the table grow and are shaped through the conversations you have over the next year. Make sure to listen and engage in the conversation. Ask questions and allow silence to be okay at the table as people have time to think. Plan this evening. Make it a big deal. Make it special. You could even choose to make it a tradition.
One thing I know, in the crazy busy season of life we are in with family, is that unless we plan a meal together once a week to have deeper conversation, it just isn’t going to happen. One person has to rush out the door for a sport practice, drama performance or even me with a basketball game (I know I am old, but I am still playing… swish). I want to encourage each family though, take the pressure off. Don’t put pressure on yourself. If you can only manage once a fortnight or once a month this is a brilliant thing. Coming together as a family is the first step and conversation is the second.
We understand though that, as we do make space and time to eat together and talk well together around food, there may be certain conversations that are challenging, and this is why we have placed a spot on our website for these conversations. As parents we are not meant to be experts at every conversation and on every topic, we do need some help. Difficult conversations are important to have with our children, they are probably the most important. So, if they come up, I encourage you not to shy away from them but embrace them.
So will 2023 be a year of NEW OPPORTUNITIES for you and your family?
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
