When was the last time you ate together with your family?

My hubby has been wondering why I sit glued to the goggle box every Monday evening to watch Life Transformers 2. The reality show provides fleeting insights into the lives of Singaporeans who are marginalised by the city-state's affluence, who slipped through the cracks of the safety nets provided by welfare organisations. Each week, the show follows a formula: the 2 hosts will visit a household that is emotionally and physically traumatised(the causes vary). After shrieking at the layers of dust and the brackish looking toilets, the 2 hosts will lead a team of volunteers to clean, wash, repaint the entire flat. At the end of the show, the home-owners will turn emotional, shed a tear or two and make promises to turn over a new leaf.

Why do I watch it? Not for entertainment but to learn not to take a lot of things in my life for granted. For example, the episode last week was a family that was so crippled emotionally by the departure of the wife/mother that they have not sat down and ate together for 3 years. Why did it affect me? My hubby, son and I share a meal at the dinner day on most days of the week. Apart from eating, we talk about work, school, the dog and current issues but ironically we never talked about the significance of eating together. Have we been taking things for granted? Here's my thoughts about family meals - A family that eats together, communicates better and stays together longer.