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To me, dinner has always been family time. When I was younger, there was no problem that a hot meal and a long chat with my parents couldn’t solve. Problem is, now I can’t seem to get their attention.
As a kid, my parents would work the stove while I mixed colorful ingredients, carefully chopping veggies and kneading fragrant bread dough. When we sat down to eat, our conversations were as fresh and nourishing as the meals we made.
These days, when my family does gather around the table, their phones sit right down with us. I’m screened off from them– literally. I have to compete with my dad’s work emails and phone calls. Trying to pry him away from it only makes him mad. Sometime when I try to ask him a question, he’ll say, “I’m typing,” barely looking up from his phone.
As I get older and more independent, I’m spending less time at home. So the moments when I get to sit down and connect with my parents are even more precious than before. That’s the Facetime I really long for.