If You Had A Choice; (person living or dead) Who Would You Like to Have Dinner With? (take a moment and answer this before you read on or watch the video). Now, watch the video.
If you are like the parents in this video; don’t you feel a little selfish. Just a little? I know I did because I struggle with creating a consistent habit of eating in my house. Much of it is dictated by my hectic work and travel schedule; however even when I’m there; laying in the bed or sitting on the coach seems to be the comfortable thing to do. Unfortunately because of my bad habit, my family follows suit by my wife watching TV in the bedroom and my son eating in the midst of him watching TV, battling villains and playing a variety of one-on-none sports.
As it happens many times, when videos, Facebook posts or tweets arise with a fatherhood or family theme, someone will forward them to me to make sure I’ve seen it. Most times I’ve seen it multiple times. Ironically sometimes its things I’ve produced myself or work I help create. However this one by Australian company MasterFoods, I had never seen.
Read MasterFoods Report: Lifting the Lid on Dinnertime
Not knowing what to expect I was pleasantly surprised by its tone and impact on a subject that we often overlook; dinner. I was also intrigued by the question and went down the same path as the parents in the video. So when they revealed the answers of the children, I too felt like a pond scum.
Kudos to the #MakeDinnerTimeMatter campaign for bringing my attention as an adult to the overthinking we can do to things that matter. The video made me wonder at what point in my life, did I stop thinking about spending time with the ones who mean the most to me and replaced them by people who wouldn’t come to my house for dinner even if I asked them.
Fathers don’t always know best, and neither do Moms. Many times its our children that are grounded in the intimacy and simplicity of life. The video helped me understand that the best answers to life’s questions may not always be above our heads, but right in front of our faces.
