Eating with the Family

   Most everyday, my family and I have VERY long days, and we hardly see each other.  This is what makes dinner time the best part of the day.  For our family, dinner time is not just for scarfing down our food as if we are vacuum cleaners, but instead we use this time to catch up on life events.

   During the day, the Wilhoite kids have school, usually followed by some sport, and dad has long days at work, and mom is either subbing or filing paperwork.  With these hectic schedules, there is generally no time to settle down and get together as a family and do something.  We instead have a nice family dinner where we can take a breathe and take loads off our shoulders as we describe our day at school, work, or sports.  This time is always treasured, because not only does mom make amazing food, but we get to know our lives just a little bit better, just by talking to each other for 30-45 minutes every night.  On days that are not so hectic, we might get an extra 15 minutes to talk to one another, and my dad makes extra efforts to hear about our day, or if it is Friday, he wants to hear about our week as a whole, while all of us kids just want to go to bed.  The brothers usually gobble up their food within 10 minutes, in order to get to enjoy watching the full football game, or relax and watch a baseball game.  I am usually the one that yells at my brothers to chew with their mouths closed, because I cannot stand the sound of chewing.  For me, I really like to have this family time, and I treasure it every time it occurs, but like almost every high school student, I am loaded with homework every night to last a life time, and I will try and eat my dinner as fast as I possibly can.  Family dinners are very important, because it is shown that if a family eats at least 3-5 meals together a week, the children will be less likely to get into trouble.

   Family dinners in my house are not just eat and leave, they are instead a time where the family can sit down, and relax every once in a while and talk about our days and our lives.  These moments will always be treasured, because when a family can connect over a meal, it will build the bond between the family, making us closer and help everyone to know that they are important and loved, and that everyone around the table will always be there for them when they are feeling sad, angry, or alone.