Hello, everyone.
Welcome to my blog and another wonderful edition of the Hive Learners' featured post. Growing up, I used to envy my friends who in their family were allowed to eat on different plates and not have to wait until the whole family is complete before they eat, while in my house we as kids all had to eat from the same plate and no one eats until everyone is back. It was only on rare occasions before we got to eat separately, and it had to be a serious case as my mom always believed that eating together would help make us love each other.
I never liked the idea, but overtime I understood that it was indeed working, and when I left home to school for the first few months, I missed how it was whenever we ate together, the fights, the shouting at each other for not observing certain table manners, I felt lonely eating my food, and I realized the impact of what my mom was doing.
Trust me, eating together did make us love each other as it became a habit. We grew up with the habit of eating together, and now before we eat we have to wait for each other. It took time before our mom's plan for making us eat together really became a reality. Her plan was to make us love each other because she believes eating together will help breed love as it did for her and her siblings, but instead we fought each other and most of the time used the spoon as weapons to pick on each other. When she first started, there was no time we ate and didn't fight with each other, but as time went on, we started getting used to eating together, and it brought us even closer.
One thing I observed about eating together is that it keeps us all connected; even when we quarrel, we have to wait for each other. Eating together as well helps us to fix whatever difference we have because if you really want to eat, you have to go and call or look for the other person, and that alone will prompt you to talk to them, and from there, whatever problem you had will start to fade away before you even know you guys are back talking and playing like nothing happened. Food brings people together, and my mom knew that, and it did bring my entire family together. Sometimes whatever problem we get is settled while eating.
Sometimes when our mother notices there is a problem between two people, she might ask them to share a plate together and even ask them to share the meat or fish together, and there is no way they won't talk to each other before all of that is over. I admire both my mom and dad too for that; they always eat together, and the only reason why one eats without the other is because the other is out of town and won't be back that day. Sometimes I hear my mom complain about how hungry she is but still won't eat because her husband is not yet back. I cannot say if eating separately affects the dynamics of family bonding, but I have for sure seen what eating together can do; it brings everyone close and makes the bond stronger.
