Family Dinners and a Duck Named Taco

A duck named Taco. That was the topic of conversation at our dinner table tonight. Thanks to a little boy named Jared and his father the farmer, Khegan’s second grade class has been closely monitoring three little duck eggs in an incubator that the classroom teacher has provided. The eggs have been in the classroom for a little over a month, and the children have eagerly been awaiting the arrival of the ducklings. Over the course of the last month, I have been warning my bright-eyed little boy that the duck eggs may not hatch; having been cultivated in an incubator in a room full of second grade students and all. However, much to my surprise, one of the eggs hatched over the weekend and now the students in Mrs. K’s second grade class are the proud parents of one little duckling.

As we sat down to a dinner prepared ever so thoughtfully my by gem of a husband, the topic of conversation quickly turned towards the little duckling named Taco. Khegan, being the animal lover that he is, taught the duck how to walk today by placing two fingers on the outside of the glass incubator and demonstrating how his fingers could walk across the glass. As a result of this great accomplishment, Khegan feels that he has earned the right to name the little duck. Although some of his classmates want to call the duckling something more logical, like ‘Ducky’ or ‘Donald’, Khegan is much too creative for that! So, that my friends, is how there came to be a duck named Taco.

In addition to that fun little tidbit, I learned many other details of my children’s respective days as we shared a meal together. I learned that in Riley’s 1st grade class, Mrs. D gave all the students a sticker promoting the 2010 census. I learned that the boys’ school pictures had been returned today. I learned that eleven parents, including me, volunteered to chaperone the 2nd grade field trip to The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. I learned that my husband is about to move his daily cardio workout from the treadmill to a carefully plan out path through our neighborhood. (It is May after all!)

Family Dinners are an important tool for mothers (and fathers) who want to be actively involved in the daily events of their children’s lives. Sitting down as a family to share a meal has many benefits. To me the most important benefit is the conversation. Family dinners are an opportunity for everyone to relax and unwind while learning about the details of each other’s days. It’s a time to share stories, give advice, and learn lessons. Children who regularly sit down to a family dinner (yes, that means no T.V.) feel safe, secure, and loved by their parents. Family dinners help to instill the value of family into the lives of our children. Also, chances are if you are sitting down to a meal as a family, the meal is home-cooked and not take out or pizza.

More information on the benefits of Family Dinners can be found at: http://children.webmd.com/guide/family-dinners-are-important