Without social media, I realized that many families are disconnected due to the hustling and bustling of life, which is very understandable. Family members just check up on each other through chat; they barely prioritize physical interaction, and it's gradually becoming a trend. The adults will go to their place of work while the younger ones will attend their place of study in the morning, and at night, everyone must be busy doing one thing or another.
Weekends are mainly for the preparation of the new week; a lot of families engage with chores, and it's always busy. Family time is barely observed, and even when it comes up, it isn't about connecting deeply like they should.
Family time is one of the things I prioritize and been the eldest son in the absence of my dad, I made it important for us. It didn't start with me though; my mom always made it compulsory as well, so it was easy for me to continue the tradition for the family.
Growing up, our kitchen wasn't just a place for cooking. It was a place where cooked and also have meaningful conversation. I know it sounds weird, but you will understand in detail as you read to the end.
My mom is a caterer, and being a mother of 4 boys, she had to teach us how to do chores most especially cooking. I was very reluctant to learn until she fell ill, and her absence made us suffer a lot.
Immediately after she got better, I decided to learn somw chores, and my siblings were very involved as well, even though they were very young. Among the chores, cooking became my favorite, and I always spend a lot of time with mom when she's cooking.
She shared her childhood stories and also educated me about life when cooking. I became so interested in the discussion, and it was really fun despite the stress of slicing onions, sitting in the heat, and others. As years passed, my siblings started getting involved, and you will find the whole family in the kitchen when its time to cook.
There was always one thing everyone could do while my mom did the main task, and it became a habit for us as a family. Once it is time to prepare dinner, we always join effort to make the meal. We joke, bring back memories, and also discuss personal issues while cooking; the kitchen moment became a sacred time for us.
While everyone of us learned cooking, we bonded pretty well. It's not like we don't bond when away from the kitchen; we do, but cooking together comes with a different vibe.
At a time, I had to live with another family, and during dinner preparation, I did hang around in the kitchen, but it never felt like home. My guardian always said, Men don't have business in the kitchen, and it made me miss home a lot.
Now we are all grown up and busy with life. My siblings are still students, so they are always busy during the week, but we dedicate weekends for family times. We are all foodies, we don't joke with our belly, and we all can also do some magic in the kitchen. I don't know who cooks better, but that doesn't matter when we are cooking together.
We decide on a meal, which is the hardest part; we shop for the ingredients we don't have and share the task among ourselves. It's always fun, and it reminds me of how we have always been very close.
Mom just sits and watches us, but she's has a company now since I am married. We talk about things that happen during the week, advise and help each other when there is a need.
This activity has become a tradition, and even though we will start our families and live separately someday, I hope we can still get to cook together again. I will surely make this a habit when I start my family, and it's a good thing my wife has seen how it helps us bond.
All image belong to me