Earlier this week, I shared a bit about why I think keeping your dining room table available for eating is important if you can. We can't at our house. Many years ago, when I had more students, we had a homeschool room but now that I'm down to one student, we are back at the dining room table. That's OK because we have a cabinet next to our table to easily move our books and materials and make room for meals.
Why am I sticking my nose in your family's business? It's not my concern where you decide to eat! I'm telling you this because I know the struggle of having to clean the table off for lunch during the school day or dinner after. I know that if you have a separate homeschool space, it's easier. I'm telling you this because mealtime as a family is so, so important.
Besides teaching manners, which we already covered, mealtime together is a great time to connect. We pointedly ask each person at the table how their day was. We go over the calendar for the next few days. We discuss who needs the car when and make plans together. We have a calendar hanging in our dining room, so it's a perfect time for those "family meeting" type things.
We also tell stories around the table. Someone will remember something funny and share it with the rest of us. We laugh. We pray together. We sometimes correct how certain siblings are treating other siblings. It's not as awkward to have that kind of conversation while everyone also has food to concentrate on. Speaking of food, I get to hear everyone's opinions of the meal. They ask, "Can we have _______ to eat tomorrow?" Those kind of conversations help me with meal planning.
Mostly though, mealtime helps us feel connected. Our older daughter is in college and we don't see her all the time. Two days ago I borrowed one of the dining room chairs to use at my sewing machine and I haven't returned it. That means we haven't sat down as a family of 4 in several days. Lunchtime often means Daddy isn't at the table, but we try to eat together anyway. If you are home, we want you around the table for meals. My husband and I eat breakfast together every morning before the kids get up. What I'm saying is, your whole family may not be present, but don't give up on family meal time!
But don't take my advice! Here is an article that outlines some of the many benefits of family mealtime (even mental health!) and there is much more data out there with a simple Google search. Just a thought while you are setting up your homeschool area this year.
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