But last night's dinner was great, and not just because the kids had mac and cheese and Dave and I had takeout Chinese. (And, why, yes, of course that is how our dinner table looks!) We tried Table Topics, a deck of 135 cards with questions to answer; we have the Family version. A friend gave it to me as a present months ago, and we've never gotten around to using it till last night. We mostly let the kids respond, and here's how it went down:
Me: "What would you most like to change in the world?"
Sabrina: "No more mosquitos!"
Me: "Anything else?"
Sabrina: "Maybe the poor people could get money."
Me: "What would be on the menu for your ultimate birthday dinner?"
Max: "Ars ooo I eee asy!" ["Cars 2 ice-cream cake!"]
Sabrina: "Macaroni and cheese and pickles and ice-cream!"
Me: "If you lived during the Gold Rush, would you have journeyed West to strike it rich?"
Dave: "YES!"
Me: "Nope! I can't stand traveling when everyone else does."
Sabrina: "No, because I could have cut myself."
Max: "Ars ooo I eee aay!"
Me: "What do you enjoy most about each of your siblings?"
Sabrina: "When Max laughs at me when I be funny!"
Me: "Max, do you think Sabrina is a funny sister?"
[Sabrina proceeds to break into some crazy dance involving the words "Cars 2! Cars 2! Max loves Cars 2!"]
Max, cracking up: "Eeeyah!" ["Yeah!"]
Me: "Would you rather be funnier, smarter, or more athletic?"
Sabrina: "Smarter, because then I could do anything."
Me: "What would be the positives and negatives of having a new baby in your family?"
Sabrina: "It would be good if the baby was good and I could hold her!"
Me: "And what would be bad?"
Sabrina: "Spit-up!"
Me: "Max, would you want a new baby?"
Max: "NOOOOO! Ars ooo I eee aay!"
And so it went. But of all the answers, this was the one that made me beam.
Me: "How is your family different from other families?"
I searched Sabrina's face after I asked it; I wondered if she was going to mention Max.
I was hoping she wouldn't.
And she said:
"Because we look different than other families—you know, our eyes and our hair!"
And I so loved that.
How does dinnertime go down at your house?
Photo/jmgcontractor
If I am there at dinner (as opposed to working a shift), it's generally a gabfest amongst the adults, the kids are giggling and poking each other, and everyone's trying to talk over the kitchen tv. Yeah, it's not the Huxtables!
ReplyDeletePS--We use paper plates, too!!! It's just easier!
Dinner at our house involves me getting up every minute or so to get something, or help my daughter sit back down (she has trouble staying in her seat!), or to wipe her hands when she's done, or take her to the bathroom, etc. I love date nights when I can eat my whole meal without getting up!
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this great post, Ellen, I'm thinking I need to get my hand on Table Topics too! My parents and I aren't very talkative at mealtimes, and those cards sound like a lot of fun!
ReplyDeleteOur dinnertime usually involves Mason stuffing his face with whatever we serve him - that boy loves his food. It also involves Carter saying "all done" after only a few bites and me and/or my husband trying to bribe him to eat the rest of his dinner. It involves me yelling at the dog as she tries to eat the boy's food off their plates, me picking up cups that have been thrown on the floor and me trying to steal a few bites of food in the midst of all this. I really, really enjoy dinners out with my husband where I can eat in peace :-)
ReplyDeleteSabrina is on to something with the "no more moquitos" thing! Sounds like you have a future world-saver on your hands. :)
ReplyDeletePickles and ice cream, Sabrina? At least she's not pregnant. LOL
ReplyDeleteDinnertime consists of me standing at the kitchen counter right beside the sink eating dinner while feeding my son in his chair beside me at the same time. And my husband sitting across from me on one of the barstools eating dinner at the counter. I find it so much easier to stand and eat since I'm always running to the fridge or cupboard for something. It's not a Norman Rockwell dinner, but it works for us.
ReplyDeleteOur family swaps lunch and dinner we have lunch together and for some reason everyone goes on different directions at dinnertime -it's wierd I know but we're weird LOL :)
ReplyDeletePS. I love Sabrina's answer "maybe the poor people could money" if only rich people thought the way she did the world would be a better place. Sabrina if you're reading this please know that Nisha from South Africa is SO PROUD of you for thinking of others :)