Sunday Salads...

James and I have recently started a new tradition; Sunday salads. We put the boys to bed at 8pm, and then James makes one of his fabulous salads which we leisurely eat while watching one of our favorite movies. We have discovered in the past few months how enjoyable it is to be able to eat our food without wrangling four boys and juggling a baby. I know "they" say it's absolutely crucial to always eat dinner with your children, lest they turn to a life of crime; but I believe it's equally crucial for a husband and wife to keep their friendship and marriage strong, and that won't happen unless they get some time to sit back, relax, and be together. I think the whole concept of feeling guilty unless you're watching your children while they eat actually started when family life changed to the extent that mothers were no longer connected to the day to day tedium of their children's lives, and needed this time at the end of the day to reconnect. For myself, I am with my children from the moment they wake up in the morning, I drop the older boys off at school myself, and spend every waking moment with my younger three, until 3:30, when I am there to greet my boys after school and deal with the homework, fights with friends, and daily trials and tribulations of an elementary school student. I find that I learn the most about my children in the 10 minutes after I pick them up at school than any other time, because any problems they may be having are still fresh, and I wouldn't miss that time for the world. I strongly doubt that 60 years ago parents ate dinner with their children for any reason other than that there was dinner, and also hungry people. Before that, for generations, children were given dinner very early, and tucked away safely in bed before Mother and Father ate their meals alone, and I don't see what's so very wrong with that concept. I think the Sunday Salads and the Friday Late Burgers will be a tradition we will carry on, regardless of what "they" say!