Let the Little Children come to Me

Have you ever spent the day cooking, put an incredible meal on the table and your children proceed to turn their nose up at it? Or, the table is beautiful, everyone is dressed nicely, you sit down and someone spills something very dark all over the white tablecloth. By this time you are so tired that you just want dinner to be over with. That is the way our Sabbath dinners were going. I was so discouraged that we stopped feasting. After talking to someone about this I realized that we were totally missing the point. Did God care that my tablecloth was stained? No, but He did care about the way I fussed with my child over it. Did he care if my kids did not like the food? No, but He does care that we train them to be more polite at the dinner table. My point is, they are children. Help them to develop a love for this day. When mom is so worried about everything being perfect it sets the wrong example. I have begun to do small things to help them. I make sure there is something on the table that everyone will eat. Each child helps in some area of the preperation. They love to feel a since of ownership. I have become less stressed about my linens and dishes. So it is stained. I can get another one. I cannot change their memory of a negative experience at the Sabbath dinner table. Remember to not only teach your children the reasons behind this celebration, but also let them see it in our actions. If you still can't get past stains, try Linens and Things or Abondante Living. They sell beautiful stain free linens.

Julie