Family Dinner, a Good Step in the Right Direction

"Adam, Sheryl and I around the dinner table."

This is one of my favorite videos off of Youtube.com. It's been reposted many times and is originally a commercial from the large food company Masterfoods Australia. It is featured with the company slogan and title, "Make Dinnertime Matter." An interviewer asks parents who they would like to have dinner with. The parents rattle off hilarious answers such as Justine Beiber, Kim Kardashian and some specific Australian celebrities like Kylie Minogue. One woman thoughtfully states Nelson Mandela.

The interview then turns the table on the parents and asks their kids the same question. OMG, this gets my heart strings every time I watch it. I won't say anymore until you watch it via the Youtube link. This is a brilliant commercial and marketing at its best. Who knows how much was staged but for purposes of pure emotion, let's suspend our skepticism. The message is crystal clear.


"Who would you most like to have dinner with? Chances are, if you're like most adults, it's someone famous, whether a movie star or a TV personality or possibly someone who's made a difference in the world. The interesting thing is, the answer can be quite different if you ask a kid."






What a great and powerful message to send to our families! These adorable kiddos just want to have dinner with their family. 😊😊😊 Their parents are understandably moved, some to tears, as was I by the commercial. Back in the 70s and 80s, my family always ate dinner together. Very rarely did we watch TV during a meal and even then it was on our small portable black and white set in the breakfast room! Usually Mom would have it on during the morning watching her shows or in the evening watching the local news.

At dinner, we would talk about our day. I have specific memories of Mom and Dad going around the dinner table asking each of us, "How was your day? What did you learn? What did you do at school?" They made very attempt and effort to be involved in every aspect of our young lives. As an adult, I now appreciate how much this has bonded us together.

Family meals were a very important part of growing up and helped create and foster the closeness and familial bond that my family still has today. I know my brother strives to have meals with his kids as much as possible. It's a little difficult when the kids get older. I know that happened with us. I also know it's not possible to have this happen in every family and that makes me sad.

My sister makes a point to hold her annual Passover Seder for friends and family. She makes a point to do it EVERY year because she realizes how important it is to have it and continue with the tradition. It's about getting together, celebrating the family and friendship.

Watching this video, I do feel hope for our humanity through this next generation, if we can help foster them to become healthy adults. I also realize that I NEED to have dinner more with my sister and brother.

Perhaps we all need to make more time to get together, eat together and just talk. Put down the phones, turn off the TV, and find out how we are all doing. And remember, in today's age, family is just not about parents and children. It can be your siblings, friends, roommates, partners, spouses or whomever YOU choose to call your family.