Up until this summer, I wasn’t home at dinnertime to eat with my family most nights. Since I taught lessons, led music therapy sessions, and taught classes in the afternoons and evenings, I missed out on meals with my family during the week. Zach either made the kids dinner at home or took them to his parents’ house to eat, and by the time I got home, we had to start the bedtime routine.
The older my children got, the harder it was to miss out on dinner with them — especially after being apart all day long. That was a part of my decision to stop teaching lessons at the end of May, and I’ve since adjusted my schedule to make sure I’m home every night for dinner together.
Meals with a 2-year-old and 4-year-old can be challenging, to put it lightly. There are arguments over fish sticks vs. chicken nuggets, negotiations about how much of their vegetables they have to eat, and sometimes, downright refusals to touch their plate — followed by “I’m hungry, can I have a snack?”.
But despite the challenges, I am so grateful to be home at dinnertime and right in the middle of all the craziness. Once the arguing and negotiating has subsided, it’s the time I get to hear all about their days…who they played with, what they drew, the books they read.
I know this season of having dinner together every night is fleeting, and soon will be interrupted by sports practices (we had our first taste of this with soccer over the summer) and school activities, so I’m savoring it right now.
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This post is a part of my 23 Days of Gratitude series. Click here for the full list of posts. Thank you so much for reading and helping me celebrate the spirit of Thanksgiving!
