On Family Dinners

I was standing there with a hot skillet of taco meat when my oldest informed me she no longer eats tacos because she now hates cheese. It was a Monday night, a family dinner night, and everyone was complaining.

“Tacos without cheese don’t taste the same,” she said.

“Then add just a sprinkle,” I said.  

 “But I hate cheese.”

“Fine. I’ll get the peanut butter and jelly,” I said, turning to my youngest.

She was happily spooning rice and beans. But just then her elbow knocked her water cup, soaking her dinner. So she picked up her plate and dumped it onto the floor.

“All clean! Can I have more?” she asked.

I grabbed the sponge.

By now my husband had finished folding my son’s taco, but while handing it over, some filling spilled out.

“Dad! You have to do it again! I can’t eat it this way!” my son said.

My husband refolded while I cleaned. Finally, we resumed eating. Just as my oldest walked into the family room and turned on the TV.

“Hey, turn that off!” my husband said.

“But I’m bored,” she said.

“Then tell us about your day!” I said.

She scowled.

We moved onto our tradition of asking Alexa the question of the day. Tonight we knew the answer! It was my son’s turn to answer, but my girls screamed over him and Alexa marked it incorrect.

“But we had it right! It was my turn and you ruined it!” my son said between tears.

At this point no one was eating so I started clearing plates. I realized as I did that my husband and I had never eaten. So I set our food aside for bedtime routines.

My husband turned to me. “Do you think we should stop these dinners for a while?” he asked.

I started to nod, then stopped, thinking of how much we enjoyed the rare dinners out with our own parents. About how one day dinners with our kids would be rare too. 

“We have to build the tradition now,” I said.  “So we have it when they’re older.”

My husband looked unconvinced but nodded as we followed the kids upstairs. They were laughing, the dinner’s traumas cleared away, the seeds of tradition planted. And so we laughed too.  Because we were together. Even if we were hungry.