BONDING OVER A MEAL

To a lot of people, family comes first on their priority list. The reason they work is to provide the people they care for most in the world, everything that they are was birth for the continuous existence of their loved ones and whatever free time they can create is channeled into utilizing family time. This could be going on vacations, taking strolls, picnics, engaging in recreational activities (e.g game night) or evening doing the bare minimum of having a meal as a single unit. All these activities may look small or even irrelevant at some point but they are incredibly important to ensure bonding and foster close interpersonal relationships amongst family members. Statistics have shown that families who spend quality time together are better equipped to handle conflicts within the family because of a deep comprehension of the diverse personalities which each member of the family will definitely have.

Having meal time together was one activity that rapidly evolved into becoming a norm in my family. We did not always have breakfast or lunch together because of things like school, work and the rest but when it was time for dinner, eating together was absolutely mandatory. For as long as I can remember the moment I could eat by myself, I became a part of the "eating together committee". I had three older sisters and when it was time for dinner we all ate from the same plate regardless of what the meal was.. Growing up, I hated eating with my older siblings because I always felt cheated when it comes to sharing of proteins which usually starts with the eldest meaning I always got the smallest piece of meat as the youngest in the group. When my younger brother was finally of that age where we could eat together, I was paired with him while all three girls ate together. This tradition was a tradition every individual in the household grew up with, we assigned constant rotational roles before and after dinner. As we continued to grow older, the strictness of this unspoken rule began to fade and the moment all three ladies left home, it was reduced to nothing more than an option. I can't even remember the last time I ate from the same plate with somebody and if memory serves me right it has been roughly three years since the last time i had dinner with my family. I still miss those beautiful moments where I either cry about the unfairness of having the smallest meat or forced to wash the plates after we were all done eating. They might have been annoying then but right now I yearn for all of it and if everything works out as planned, we will all be laughing over a lot a lot of egusi soup and maybe, just maybe I might finally get the largest share of fufu and soup 😁😁😁.

A lot of things might change when I finally settled down with my own family but one thing's certain though, all my kinds are definitely having dinner together. I want them to experience what I did growing up, fighting over sitting positions, cry over the unfairness of distribution, struggle to clear daddy's table for an extra piece of meat just so I can intervene with the right words settle their grievances. So future bride best be ready wherever you are because our family is absolutely going to be more entertaining than a Saturday night special.
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