My Beloved and I were out to our homeschool class today and stopped at a family-owned restaurant for supper on the way home. There was a family across the way with two sons who were playing chess on their laptop computer. No conversation was going on among the family--just passing the laptop back and forth. Recently we were in a restaurant, and grandparents had their young grandson with them. They had brought a DVD player, and he was watching some cartoons. At another restaurant not long ago, a family with three children had come in and while the children were coloring, the parents were both busy with their cell phones. The same thing was true on another occasion. And just last week when we were out, there were a couple of women at a nearby table with their daughters, who were on their cell phones. At least the women were talking to each other! None of the others seemed to exchange more than a dozen words. Physically together, but emotionally disconnected.
As I was watching this family today, my mind went back to when our daughters were younger and living at home and the depth of conversations we would have at supper time. We'd more often than not spend an hour or so at the table, simply sharing happenings of the day or talking about some pertinent topics or struggles they may be having. That was a time purposefully set aside for our family to come together and talk. Supper was a major tool for discipling our family.
If parents aren't diligent about redeeming the time they do have with their children, the years will be gone before they know it. Our culture has become noisy and cluttered to the extreme. The fast pace gets many people addicted to their own adrenalin, and they speed up life far beyond what they can emotionally or physically handle. Such a condition gives birth to depression and hopelessness.
If you have a family at home and you aren't doing so already, I encourage you to be diligent about providing time and space for your children to reflect and contemplate. Bring some quiet to their days, and be cautious of adding activity upon activity that rushes them through each day. I encourage you to disciple your children. That takes conversation. At least leave the technology out of the room when you sit down to eat together. Look each other in the eyes and talk to one another. You just might be surprised at what you hear. Maybe even more surprised at what you say.
