The kitchen table

When I read and look back into history, I can't help but wonder if our ancestors would recognise our lives, and if they would think all the changes that have happened are the best for ourselves and our planet. I think the women would be particularly thrilled at the development of many household appliances. Especially fridges, freezers, washing machines, vacuum cleaners and small appliances like electric beaters and stick blenders. I am sure that many of the men would marvel at farming machinery, electric chainsaws and cars.

The kids playing chess on a hot afternoon. 

I suspect they would be a bit miffed by mobile phones, giant TVs, lights that change colour and the short-term/disposable nature of many items in our homes today. They would be astounded that 'fashion' changes so quickly, and that much of it is such poor quality. Though I suspect many would enjoy the light, breezy cotton fabrics available and thin undergarments. Especially if they, like us, live in a hot climate.  

I imagine they would be thrilled at the access to modern medicine and to learn that children today do not have to face the same tragedies as their children did through what we now consider preventable illnesses due to the improvement in sanitation, antibiotics, vaccines and surgical advancements.   

They would be shocked at how far most people are removed from the natural world and how disconnected that world is from farming. When my father was young, every Christmas a turkey, fresh cream and butter as well as seasonal fruit and veggies would be carefully packaged up, along with small presents and sent from the family farm to his home in Sydney via the train. Even if you lived in the city, most people still had a connection to the family farm. 

They would be shocked at our modern supermarkets and I suspect not recognise many of the items within them as food. 

Making meatballs for dinner with whole ingredients. 

There are many wonderful changes that we have access to in today's world, and many of those changes have reduced back-breaking manual labour. Socially, there have been pivotal movements throughout history that have bought vast improvements to equality, though there remains a lot of work to be done. 
But I don't think all the changes the world has gone through are for the best. They are certainly not when it comes to the environment or sustainability. But that is an entirely different conversation. 

When I read old books or hear people talk about how things used to be I'm always stuck by the amount of visiting that seemed to go on. People popped over with spare seedlings or a meal for a sick or elderly neighbour, birthdays and parties were usually held in the home rather than at an external venue, and friends came over for working bees. People would meet for games of cards or to share a meal on the weekend rather than staying in their own individual homes. I remember these things from when I was a child. These were usually not fancy affairs, some sausages and chops on the BBQ (who can even afford lamb these days?) People would bring a salad or dessert. If you were lucky there would be chips and a can of soft drink as a special treat. Such items were not the norm for most kids I knew. It seems to organise a catch-up with anyone these days needs to be organised weeks in advance and requires military precision between children's activities, work and various other appointments.

I am not sure these kinds of changes are necessarily good for us. People on the whole are lonelier than ever and more disconnected from their friends and family. Not necessarily by distance, but by time. With the advancement of time-saving technology in the home we should have more time than ever to spend with those we love most.  

"Basically, human well-being depends on interpersonal interactions and relationships. It’s no wonder that prolonged loneliness is associated with many serious health consequences such as an increased risk of depression, anxiety, dementia, stroke and heart disease, so an epidemic of it should be taken very seriously." Dean Burnett, BBC

You can read the rest of the article HERE

Instead, people seem to have less, I suspect the internet is a huge waste of time for many of us, but there are other issues. The internet means many people never log off. The endless growth economy means shops are open 7 days a week, for increasingly longer days. Those shops require staff so we can no longer presume people are free on a Sunday or after 5pm. Commuting can take a huge chunk of people's days. It seems everything is becoming automated and self-service is becoming the norm. Chatting with the person at the checkout is becoming increasingly rare as we are encouraged to scan our own items. Church numbers are in decline which I think is a real shame. Not only is faith (of any kind) an incredibly powerful thing in our lives, but the faith community has also always been an important social construct around the world.  

Living at a place that allows periods of rest and downtime is incredibly important for children. I don't believe it is good for them to sleep on the go all the time.

When I look at our modern world, I suspect there is much our ancestors wouldn't recognise about it. But some things remain the same or can return with ease if we choose. 

We can choose to slow down our lives, to minimise the activities our children are doing to one a season. We can ask our children to streamline their choices so each child is not going in their separate directions, which may require a little compromise and taking turns to focus on a chosen activity for a season.

We can choose to embrace sitting around the kitchen table. Many people today eat in the lounge room, in front of the TV. But the kitchen table remains an important place to gather, to discuss the happenings of the day. It's a place to do projects, play board games share meals and share morning and afternoon tea. It's a place where everyone can sit together, reflect on the day and discuss what is on their minds. Just as families have for generations. There is power in sitting around the kitchen table, the ritual of doing so has 

helped bind families together throughout the ages. 

Preparing food from scratch is an important ritual for children to get involved in. The kitchen table is a nice big space in which to spread out for cooking if, like me, you have a small kitchen. If you have a big kitchen with lots of bench space, you're lucky! Today we have made bread, pizza scrolls and tiny cupcakes. They ate the pizza scrolls for lunch and tonight they will have fresh bread with a big pot of vegetable and tomato soup I made yesterday. When your cooking with children they ask a lot of questions. Today we talked about gluten, what it is and how it changes dough and makes bread delicious and soft. I am coeliac so I can't eat gluten, but I can cook it just fine. The process of pinching, sprinkling, grating, measuring and tipping are all important in developing coordination and dexterity. Did you know many kids today struggle with these things due to so much time on screens? They are also lacking in upper body strength as they do far less climbing and more time sitting than children did in the past. 

If you are looking to simplify and help bring your family closer together, perhaps a good place to start is at the kitchen table. 

Much love, 
Emma
xx