Can someone explain it for me?
We bring people into our homes. Family, friends, those that have come to know and like us, even respect us, they know who we are, so why o'why? Do we change our lives for them?
Are we so hung up on other people's opinions that we will lie to them, put ourselves out just on the off chance that they will notice how well behaved we are, how strong the bonds of our family are, and that deep down inside they will like us more, respect us more?
More likely I would think that if they see our family as being more polite to each other, or having stronger bonds, they will begin to feel bad about their own situation, the quirks and traditions of their own family, and that the continual re-enforcement that we are better/stronger/closer will have a negative impact on the memories that they have of their visit.
Good manners are one thing, and I believe in being kind & courteous, in not resting your elbows on the table, of using a knife and fork and eating with your mouth closed. Good manners are not what I’m talking about.. I’m talking about changing the way things are normally done…
My family eats dinner at the kitchen table each night, mostly we have the tv on, and there is not much in the way of conversation, but we are still there, together. The one exception for this is when we have Pizza or McDonald's or some other fast food. The meal is informal and broken, people might come back an hour later for another slice.. it has been this way since my sister and I entered our teens.
Now we have relatives over, an aunt and uncle from interstate are staying for a week. We will have dinner ever night with them, tonight was nothing special, it was not a special occasion. They have told us that they usually do not eat dinner with all the family at the table. They tell us that the people of their household are either out or in their own rooms or just eat at different times.
We had pizza tonight, at the table, with everyone there.
Can someone explain it?