While I was a nurse at NIH, I was a member of the code team. There were 7 of us. We were the first responders in the hospital when a persons heart stopped beating or a person stopped breathing. A lot of responsibility. With that responsibility came training. Every Tuesday for 10 hours we would practice what to do in all kinds of situations, with every kind of heart beat, or airway obstruction. Over and over and over. When an emergency happened we knew exactly what to do. There was never deciding or wondering or questioning. We knew what we were doing. We were prepared. You would want this team taking care of you or someone you loved. Similarly, my husband demonstrates the effort involved as he prepares for trial. Hours spent reviewing the same details and transcripts. Late nights and early mornings. Thinking, strategizing anticipating, reviewing. Time and effort. Preparation pays off in good results! It cannot be underrated! We were telling our kids this during dinner last night, to keep them motivated to work hard at their studies and sports. And to emphasize it is work! I think stories around the dinner table matter more than society realizes.
Bravo, AnnMarie! I think you're right. Stories around the dinner table are important. They shaped me, and I hope they're shaping my kids. And what a great story: being prepared!
ReplyDeleteDinner should as a family is very important!
ReplyDeleteThat's an excellent message! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAnnmarie, I've just nominated you for the One Lovely Blog Award. Come check it out at
http://abooksandmore.blogspot.com/2012/10/one-lovely-blog-award-times-2.html
Tina - mom of 4 and author of 5 blogs
Wonderful post! I truly believe you are right!
ReplyDeleteI love this post! With so much mediocrity in workers, it is nice to hear how 'real' professionals prepare for earning their living. xo
ReplyDeleteIf you are prepared you shall not fear :) Wish you had been around a couple months ago when I choked in a restaurant - - :)
ReplyDeleteI think people sometimes underestimate how important such dinner table discussions are. Good for you that you haven't lost sight of that!
ReplyDeleteAgree! Stories around the dinner table teach more than a lecture or 'how-to". Kids like hearing how we've tackeld different situations.
ReplyDeleteHey fellow RN! I work in the NICU at Fairfax.
A big THANK YOU to all the medical providers and other responders and military out there who work so hard and prepare so diligently for those moments when they are called on to save lives. You do not get the publicity or gratitude you deserve, however after we clean up from the dinner table, we pray at night before bed and we always say a blessing for you!
ReplyDeleteand THANK YOU to all the parents who set such great examples!
Deletetrue that. i've picked up so many dinner table talks and explored them further for my stories when i was reporting.
ReplyDeleteWow your an awesome lady! Thanks for saving so many lives and knowing your work so well.
ReplyDeleteYour right dinner time with family is the best time to share your days activities and to nuture your children in setting the right example for their lives.
Let me add your children are very lucky to have you two as parents.
Maggie
Very true! You will always get out what you put in! I recently ran a race that I prepared fervently for. On race day my confidence left me and I wondered WTH I was doing! I picked up my race shirt to find this quote on the back "If you fail to prepare, Prepare to fail!" Right then I knew I could do it! Way to motivate:)
ReplyDeleteLoressa
lifescuriouswisdom.com
Amen! Thanks for everything you do!
ReplyDeleteSO UNBELIEVABLY GRATEFUL for amazing Code Teams. And as for family dinner? Amen to that!!
ReplyDeleteI know they do!
ReplyDeleteAmen! Practice makes perfect in everything we do throughout life. Thanks for reminding me.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely!
ReplyDeleteHow very true...dinner time stories are fading in family homes and this is a great reminder to keep them up!
ReplyDeleteAmen to those dinner time sharing sessions.
ReplyDeleteIrreplaceable in our family life and in our faith life.
I totally agree. Both what we say and what we do influences our children.
ReplyDeleteAnnmarie, I totally concur with your dinner table comment. Not only do kids learn from adults and vice versa in this family environment, but the adults get a leg up on understanding what makes their kids tick and where their thought processes are or arn't. Our son, his wife don't sit down for dinner with their kids often enough but they do spend a good deal of quality time with them. Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
ReplyDeletePractice makes perfect. And dinner time discussion are so important. It's sad that so many families eat on the run these days.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy dinner time conversations. Sounds like this one was a good one. :)
ReplyDeleteStories at dinnertime is probably my favorite family time here. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post as always!
absolutely!i wholeheartedly agree.
ReplyDeletexo
Perfect advice and wisdom which you are passing on. And, oh, so true!!!! I don't always get to comment, but enjoy your stories immensely. So, thanks!
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely correct. Good advice!
ReplyDeleteagree....stories around the dinner table...and actually eating together as a family is massively important...
ReplyDeleteJust sitting around the dinner table is more important than people think!
ReplyDeleteI agree with dinner table talk. I thank you for sharing your drive for excellence with your children. I think there is a precious lack of excellence and way too much "good enough" in the world today. Thank you thank you thank you. :)
ReplyDeleteAMEN I agree with you 100%
ReplyDeleteHow I treasure dinner time stories. One day the kids will be gone and it will be just me and my husband sitting there. Some days my head wants to explode from all the information the kids keep throwing my way, but I love every second of it!
ReplyDeleteFamily gathering at the dinner table is sacred! In this busy life we lead this is the perfect time for the family members to exchange their news and thoughts. Teaching our kids values and making them strong, determined, successful adults is more effective when we give real life examples. Good job, Annmarie!
ReplyDeleteOut of all the teaching moments I have seen my daughter and husband perform, eating together at the dinner table is at the top of the list. I'm convinced my grandkids and their parents are a close-knit family because of these meal times. Good for you and your husband for doing likewise. It pays off hundredfold.
ReplyDeleteAs parents, we are our children examples. Both of you are good examples:)
ReplyDeleteI'm all for dinners together and conversations as a family! Even with the little kids like ours, it's the best time of the day for our family!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful message for the children. Dinner is such a perfect place to share.
ReplyDeleteDo you live near MD. or have I asked you this before?
Have a great weekend ~
TTFN ~
Marydon
We used to have the best family dinners growing up. Some of my best memories.
ReplyDeleteSome of the things I remember best about growing up happened around the conversation at the dinner table. SO important!
ReplyDeleteI have five siblings and we would have supper as soon as my daddy got home from work and always sat around the dinner table and talked. Nothing better!
ReplyDeleteAnnmarie, you are so right about the importance of dinner table conversations. We still have them with our 20-year-old who lives at home. I have so many great memories of talks over meals with my two eldest.
ReplyDeleteFamily time should be sacrosanct!
Blessings!
And I bet your little apples won't fall to far from mom and dad tree!
ReplyDeleteWe always used to have dinner every night as a family, they were great times.
ReplyDeleteI believe strongly in the family gathering together at the end of the day. It was never an option unless we went out or there was a sleepover. Even now as empty nesters we have a sit down meal together to talk about our day.
ReplyDeleteI agree and I also feel they tend to listen more than we think they do at times like this.
ReplyDeleteIf only more people took that kind of time, in this rush, rush world.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ms. A. Everyone seems to want to take short cuts. You can't over emphasize practice. I worth it even if you only use it once.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more. It's a shame that many kids don't know what a dinner table is. They grew up in a world of TV trays.
ReplyDeleteStories are everything. Stories in our mind! Even run movies in the mind. When people see themselves they can go out and be the person. That's what you did when you trained.You could see every situation.
ReplyDeleteNo matter the profession it matters to be prepared and to teach our children the values of this is HUGE and the table is a great place to have their attention to hear the lesson :))
ReplyDeleteI second that! I think many parents underestimate how important dinnertime conversations can be!
ReplyDeleteDear Annamarie, You are absolutely correct! Eating together and talking is so important for a family.
ReplyDeleteThe children learn how to have a conversation and input into a subject. They learn poise and grace and how to conduct themselves. They also learn the importance of eating together and being a family. You are also making memories with your children that will carry them through their lives.
Blessings my dear. Catherine xo
Family dinner time is my favorite time of the evening too. Keep telling your children that. Too many times they forget that pratice makes perfect.
ReplyDeleteYes, families talking around the dinner table is becoming a lost art.
ReplyDeleteAmen, I agree.
ReplyDeleteYou are preparing your children well for the world. They will always remember their time around the dinner table .
ReplyDeleteOh yes, those stories and life events told around the dinner table are what makes you a family. We all live busy lives but the conversations about life, and even the daily grind are what influence and motivate children. They might not look like they are taking it all in, or even listening, but believe me, they are.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree! One of the things I appreciate most about growing up is the fact that we always ate dinner together.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all the way on this one. The dinner table is such an important place when it comes to family.
ReplyDeleteWhen my children were coming up dinner time and devotions after were very important to us. It is heartwarming to hear their mention of it now when they have children/adult children of their own. My children are aged 26 to 40+ so the ages covering a wide range. Good for you in instilling morals and work ethics.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that dinner conversations are so important. I went to a writing conference and a speaker mentioned how dinner is how kids learn manners (eating and speaking), the art of storytelling, and about the lives of their families and stay connected. So true!
ReplyDeleteHere here!!!!! We always talk about our day over dinner!!
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree..and am appreciative of meal together.
ReplyDeleteOh gosh. Now I've got to figure out how to turn the oven on and make this magic happen.
ReplyDeleteCan eating instant oatmeal around the table illicit the same results?
Or...got any crockpot recipes? I hear those are supposed to be idiot-proof.
I'll get crackin' on this. Too many bloggers are pointing out the wonderous things that happen at the dinner table. I need to get on board!
Yes dinner time talks are invaluable! Any family time around the table is wonderful. My family played card games and that is how we kept up on the family time!
ReplyDeleteabsolutely. My hubby and I make a point of taking about some of life's challenges (at least those for little ears) at the dinner table so our children can see that a) life will have challenges you must face, and b) how a married couple work through them. I think it is very healthy for kids to see their parents working out such issues -- even if there is disagreement. well, respectful disagreement of course.
ReplyDeleteThanks for following my blog. Enjoyed reading your post. I cherish the times we sat down together as a family. We try to do it often. ~Jen
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing out the importance of family time together around the dinner table.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more. Dinners with family are a lost practice for too many families, everyone scattered here and there.
ReplyDeleteKudos on being prepared for any emergency.
We need a government like that.
Not enough stories are shared around the dinner table these days as too many people don't sit around one. As I grew up we always ate around a table and this was the time when we shared our days, talked over our worries, and just had a general laugh and were able to be at total ease with ourselves as we knew there was no-one around to judge or ridicule. I once remember one of my brothers friends telling him that having dinner at our house was better than watching any soap opera...lol I have tried to take this custom with me into adulthood and we have family meals and no subject is taboo and friends are always made spaces for and an extra plate is dished up!!
ReplyDeleteThese moments are important!!
Family time involving dinner meals is so important!
ReplyDeleteWonderful post ~ family systems are fragile or broken for much of the population ~ Great reminder of what is 'important' ~ Communication on all levels with respect and love. (A Creative Harbor)
ReplyDeleteThis is so very true! Talking with our kids, teaching them right from wrong, and encouraging them to work hard for their dreams are what it's all about!
ReplyDeleteso incredibly said...as usual!
ReplyDeleteBless your heart. That is such a wonderful service you did. Great things you are teaching your children. :)
ReplyDeleteReally wise words and you always thank yourself for that time preparation. I have to say I always say to myself to "time spent in reconnaisance is never wasted" and yet I still skip out the door without directions and get myself into scrapes.
ReplyDeletei think you are so right---my daughter has always loved for us to eat dinner around the table---although i must admit i am perfectly okay with the sofa---you made me realize we aren't doing this like we used to, thanks :)
ReplyDeleteI agree!
ReplyDeleteWe did the same thing and were always drilling things in their heads-school and being good. It is starting to show now that our daughter is 20 and in college. FINALLY!
ReplyDeleteAnnmarie,
ReplyDeleteI have awarded you with the Lumen Christi Award. It's posted with instructions in my blog:
http://clinmarjo.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-lumen-christi-award.html
BTW, our family drilling paid off also. (loved the post)
thanks for linking up for the aloha friday hop :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment on my new blog. I was formerly there http://sparkleandco.blogspot.com but I had to make another to get rid of jealous persons ( French are sometimes weird).
ReplyDeleteI didn't know you were a nurse. I was an ICU nurse. I love the way you think and you take care of your family. Have a nice week end!!!
You are so right about the dinner table and our children do learn from example. It seems that you've both set a very good one!
ReplyDeleteLove Di ♥
We become too complacent and busy in our lives, the dinner table is an excellent way to slow our roll and take in one another...good post.
ReplyDeletewowwww.. bravo!! :D
ReplyDeleteThank you for your nice comment on my blog earlier :)
Maybe you have time to read my new post is up: Dreams: What you want them to be
~Boomerang Plus
I am with you here as well, we should have that more often, too many, too busy. God help us to slow down and do the needful.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments on Teshuva I appreciate you, do have a super blessed week!
Love
Great post. (I've tried to reply back to your comment on my page, but it hasn't worked. :( ) Thanks for visiting my page and commenting. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, our kids need us to be actively involved in their lives and reminding them that nothing worth having comes easy.
This only instills in me that I wish I had more supportive parents and how I hope I was more supportive to my own kids. Somehow I know I could have done better. KUDOS to you all.
ReplyDeleteI agree, dinner time is a great time to share ideas and inspiration, but the truth is actions speak louder than words. No matter what you tell your kids, the way you behave is what they will model. From what I've read of your blog you and your husband have been and are excellent examples for anyone's kids. I have no doubt your youngsters are growing up to be honourable, caring and hard working adults.
ReplyDeleteI'm not against technology, and the advent of all things electronic, but I'm afraid it has been detrimental to the art of communication.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that lots of time should be set aside for face to face communication, but I know of adults who's main source of communication with their family is electronic.
Only the other day I saw two people texting on their cell phone....................twenty paces from meeting each other !
Perhaps the answer could be an electronic free day each week.
So true! I love this post. As a musician, I'm comparing it to all my piano practice. It took 4 hours a day of practice in high school for me to win a music scholarship to college. Some things don't come easy but when we apply ourselves, the results are amazing. Thank you for sharing a conversation around the dinner table; very inspiring!
ReplyDelete