I stood and stared at my parents dining table today..

[Past780]

A place where we all used to sit as a family, a family now long gone. My sibling died many years ago, I'm now in my 50s with my own family, my parents are elderly

Friday night's were fish and chips
One night would be turkey escalopes
Sunday dinners which smelt amazing as mum cooked them, with the Smufs and Lost in Space on the tv
We all had our set places to sit
Mum told us to "take the one closest to you" when cakes etc where placed in the middle of the table
Saturday night was a fry up
We all sat there every night, regardless

Great times, happy memories

How odd. I was looking at my dining table yesterday.
DH died last year, DC (older teens/young adult) now grab their plates and eat in their rooms, or nuke it later when they get in.
The last time we all sat at our table was Christmas 2023, I too was thinking of the happy memories, times never to be repeated. I wish life had a rewind button sometimes!

Turkey escalopes! I had forgotten all about those. Huge nostalgia moment for you.

"Table - The Children’s Poetry Archive" https://childrens.poetryarchive.org/poem/table/

You would have liked the unseen poem on this year's GCSE, OP.

Happy memories for you.

I love this!

Turkey escalopes! We had those too! Usually with spaghetti bolognese, I have no idea why, but it was delicious.

I still have a soft spot for The Smurfs from watching them many many times as a child.

My own kids are adults now and I'm very happy they still sit and eat dinner with me when they are home - and cook it sometimes as well.

I'm sorry for your loss. Could your children be encouraged to eat with you at the table sometimes? It might be nice for you as a family

Thank you @Gduonloudc
Sadly they’ve reached that age where everything I do, wear or say is annoying/embarrassing! I’m also mindful of not wanting to make them feel they have to be my support tbh.

We recently moved house and had to get rid of our dining table as it didn’t fit anymore. I wasn’t too emotional about leaving our old house even though we had been there 15 years. But when I sold my dining table I cried. All six kids have sat round it, babies weaned at it, parties around it, Christmas’s and Easter’s with lots of family that are no longer with us. It made me really really sad which I know is daft but I totally understand where you’re coming from.

That’s lovely @KeepCalmAndPretendItIsOnTheLessonPlan

What a great porm @KeepCalmAndPretendItIsOnTheLessonPlan

DM is preparing to sell our family dining table. It's an original mid century design classic, of significant value and one of my siblings needs the money. DM asked me if I minded. I don't mind my sibling having the cash, but I'm sad about the table going.

Listen to Crowded Table by The Highwaywomen OP..tried to link it but couldnt. Marvellous sing that sums it all up.

It's not really the table, is it? It's the family coming together and the memories of it.

I keep meaning to get something smaller and not too delicate that my kids can have to remember family meals.

We’ve just had a lovely weekend with 4 generations together.
My dad is no longer in the house we grew up in but there are still many memories in this house.

My upbringing around meal times was similar to yours, OP. My parents are both gone now. But my siblings and I often talk about the family meals we had. Fond memories - and important lessons learned about family, togetherness and sharing.

I did all I could to have regular family meals when my children were younger; and I still try to gather my (now adult) children for meals as often as I can.

Precious stuff. I hope my children do the same with their children.

My ex-husband took our family dining table and chairs when he moved to his now-wife’s house 😔 It was really the only thing I wanted to keep - three children, grandparents, siblings, cousins and lots and lots of our children’s friends had spent many happy and sad times around it. I wrote all our names underneath it before it left for its new home. One day I came back and it was gone. For me that was the end of the family home. I take comfort that at least my children will sit around it with their dad (and that woman).

I love our dining room table.

DP and I bought it when we lived in our 1st home, cos us £10 from the neighbour.

It was a bit battered then. Now I'd never let it be seen without a table cloth. But it extends, drops down, has 2 little cupboards and 2 drawers in the middle section.

It's used daily for meals. Less family meals now the children are all teens but we still get together at least twice a week to eat together. I love the conversations and banter.

It's used for various art and craft hobbies.

And DP keeps making moves for us to buy a new dining table. So we go and look at these polished non-scratched version. But I just can't.

Sorry for your loss.
Love you have such amazing memories.
I sometimes feel that I’m a bit of a dinosaur, as we have Sunday lunch most weeks around sporting matches etc. I made something more summer friendly today and my DS11 was like, what, we’re not having Sunday lunch! It was quite nice to know that they enjoy sitting around the table enjoying a meal, long may it last, and long may your memories last and be added to.

We got our table ten years ago when we bought our house. The old owners couldn’t fit it in their new house. The intention was to buy a new one within a year, but we
have grown fond of it and still have it.

we got a bigger dining table last year. it was a big mistake. this new one is big enough for out bigger family and there's enough space for the children to not be elbowing eachother all of dinner time but it's missing the pencil holes and scratched and paint.
I miss it and I hate this new table.
I wish I kept the old top for a wall hanging or something. it was only pine so it had loads of marks and I miss them even though I shouted when they were first cut into the wood!

My table is 25 years old now. Has wine stains and god knows what on it.We all love it still. Mum and Dad sat around it but are no longer with us sadly.

This is making me feel very nostalgic. It wasn't the table for me but the crockery . My parents had the 1970s brown set with dark brown edge. Mum loved it and gradually bought various pieces. I so wish I had kept it. When we had to clear my parent's home in 2010 it broke my heart to part with it, but at the time it seemed the right thing to do. So many family meals, laughter, arguments, just every day life .

that's a lovely poem

I don't remember the actual table we had growing up,but we did have our dinner (tea probably) there every night, with napkins and everything. When I had my own children we also had dinner at the table every night - I've never gone for dinner in front of the tv. 3 of my now grown up children had dinner with me tonight and it was lovely. I didn't succeed at everything as a parent, but family meals was one thing I'm pleased we did. @WhyIsMyLifeFullOfLemons I'm so sorry for your loss. Is there any way you can talk to your dc about how important it is for you to have dinner together? Even twice a week?

Oh, I like it.

In my holiday home I have the original G Plan teak table from my parents house. It has a big flap that expands it so 8 can sit around it. There were 7 of us so the flap was always out. When my parents had it you could never see the wood because it always had a thick protector on it then a table cloth. In my mind I can picture Mum at one end and Dad at the other. Mum spreading butter on a loaf of bread and cutting the bread on the old bread board. Then her making the sandwiches and always cutting into halves in rectangles, triangles were kept for picnics. There was always cakes because Mum always baked on Tuesdays and made pastry on Fridays so often jam tarts made with left over pasty on Friday evenings. Often Mum made a rice pudding or an apple pie. I've got the table so you can see the lovely wood and with the flap tucked under. I don't see it often as only when on holidays there but when I polish it I think.of my parents no longer with me and my sisters when they were little.

What a lovely post and thanks pp for sharing that perfect poem.