Eating together as a family was one of the best moments as a child and it was one of the things that made our home stronger. We grew up eating as a family until everything changed when mom died and things fell apart and there was nothing as eating together as a family except when we travel for Christmas, but it is always a rare situation we would come together to eat on the same dining table.
When we were younger, Mom would always make sure we waited for Dad to return back from work at night so we could eat together except on days when he would call that we should eat without him because he would return late, so for him not to keep us waiting and hungry, we ate alone.
Other times when it became more fun was after coming back from church. Every Sunday, we either prepare rice or pounded yam, nothing else aside from these two. Dad was the one who always pounded yam, and even on days when we wanted to eat it for dinner and he wasn't back home yet, we would wait for him while promising he would be back on time so we don't feel hungry.
In those times, Dad and Mom had their own special plate while we, the children ate on different plates and stories from the past would start coming in. With jokes and laughter, every dinner felt so great, thanking God for His provision and sustenance. One thing we never forget to do before eating as a family is to bless our meals, so, Dad could beckon on anyone to pray for us.
I would say we enjoyed those times. Was it the hilarious laughter when Dad would call my younger brother to lead the prayer and he would start saying, "My daddy will not die, my mommy will have money", Mr man, you were only motioned to pray on the food, why jeering off to another way? 😀 Or the emotional moment when Dad would cut a slice of his meat and share it on our plates even when we had our own meat. Or the moment of reflection when Mom would appreciate God for giving us food because some people haven't eaten anything.
Dinner together was the best time to build our bonds stronger as a family and we appreciate every bit of it then. One other thing Mom and Dad failed not to do after dinner was play a ludo game.
They feel it brings the couple closer to each other and there was not a day without playing the ludo game, and we, the children were always joyful when we took sides between both, hoping the one we supported would win. In the end, the happiness we got was more than anything else because we saw our family as the best one then especially for someone like us living in a congested building with more than 20 tenants in it, some who never enjoyed a day's laughter but to always fight.
As I grew up, I decided not to forget the benefits of dining together as a family using my personal experience and how it has helped form a stronger bond even today without forgetting the role our mother played too. Still, it is something I would want to pass on to my children when I become a mother and have my own family.
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