Tuesday, August 28, 2012

The Well-Adjusted Lone Eater

My household has never been into family dinners. As the youngest, I got home earlier than my siblings, and in turn my father arrived later than anyone else, sometimes around 8 or 9 during the busy times of year. 

So Ma fed us in a staggered mode, whenever we shuffled through the door burdened beneath oversized knapsacks. Shabbos, of course, we all ate together, but due to my youth I rarely found the conversation scintillating, and I would go off to read. 

Where my siblings and I prone to a life of crime or drug abuse? Ha. We were the most nerdily straight kids ever to cross a yeshiva threshold. 

But "they" insist that family dinners is the only way to ensure happy and well-adjusted children! 

"They" messed up again. 

It's not about the dinner itself, this article claims. It's about quality time in general, which could be while in the car, for instance. I believe that is where all of our deep conversations took place.
http://cdn.sheknows.com/articles/mom-kid-rental-car.jpg
There is no criteria for what qualifies as having good interaction with kids.  

In other news, here is a response to the brouhaha over politicians "daring" to paddle into the Sea of Galilee in the buff. The fun part: When the author references Resh Lakish.  

2 comments:

  1. But you did have Shabbos meals together, right? So maybe that's why you're not a coke-addicted gambling alcoholic?

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  2. As I said (did you read it thoroughly? Tsk tsk) I always found the table conversation booooring, so I went off with a Tintin instead. My parents were very nice about it.

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