It’s been three weeks, and by now family dinner might feel easier. You have created this time and place for family to come together, so full of possibility. Could you explore those possibilities and use family dinner to do some heavy lifting or some imagining together? Look at something your family struggles with or aspires to, and begin to try to address that at dinnertime. The things you share at dinner can help your relationships far beyond the table, and what is happening in the world might teach you more about yourselves.
Try This:
Is there a dream that you want to explore, a plan that you’re hatching or a decision that you want to make as a family? A trip? A new job? Getting a pet? Or do you want to change the food you eat – maybe try Meatless Mondays or cooking nutritious foods at home more often? Is there something in the news you could talk about together? Or maybe you just want to get to know one another better. Whatever it is that you hope to do or become together, maybe the conversations at family dinner can help you get there.
Questions to Guide Conversation
- What can we learn about ourselves during family dinner conversations?
- How can those lessons shape who we want to be at work or school or in the world?
- Which current events can we discuss to help us think more deeply about the world around us?
- What do we want to express to each other but never seem to have the time or place?
- What are our hopes and dreams for the next few months or next year? Can we talk about making one of those hopes a reality for our family?
This might be harder than the other weeks, but it could be more meaningful and more fun as well. You’ve built new habits and made more time for each other, and that opens up opportunities for new conversations. Dinner is the perfect time to use small moments to explore larger life lessons. Begin to talk about who you are, who you want to be to each other and how you treat others.More resources to help with Week 4:
CELEBRATE! Take some time to reflect on the conversations your family had this week. What did you learn? It might be something you’ve been thinking about for years. No matter what the outcome was, celebrate together for trying. You’re closer to your goals and closer as a family. And no matter where your story began, after using “Food, Fun and Conversation: 4 Weeks to Better Family Dinners,” we hope that your family is closer to where you want to be.
Introduction
Make the Commitment
Make it Simple
Make it Fun
Make it Matter