Family times together

I was reading an article (“Living in the Realm of our own” Erin Anderssen, Globe & Mail, Sat. February 24/07) about the way our society has become very individualistic in this age of technology.

The piece got my attention because it started with a parenting coach talking about her family eating different things at dinner time. Each family member may have different likes and dislikes, so their dinner would be reflective of that diversity.

The essay went on to discuss more about our society being more of an iPod generation of individuals.

One point that struck me as interesting was that the latest numbers from Stats Canada revealed that more and more people are watching TV alone and eating alone more than ever. I have often wondered how much value we as parents and families place on being together at dinnertime or even watching TV. I have heard my children ovver the years talk about friends who eat alone where we have always had a family dinnertime. (There are obviously some days that one or other are not there for dinner but most evenings the 4 of us sit down for dinner.)

The idea of community, to me, starts at home. If there are some times during the day that the family comes together over a meal or even watching a TV program together, there is a sharing and a security that grows from those communal times.