It seems to me that families used to eat more meals together. There's often a TV nearby，or someone's talking on a cell phone or texting during dinner.
We'd wait for everyone to get home, and then we'd all sit down together. During dinnertime conversation, everyone had a chance to talk. Back then, I was a little quiet, so my dad would often ask me to talk about my day.
Speaking of taking turns，all of us kids used to take part in either preparing the meal or cleaning up. Sometimes my mom would let me help her in the kitchen. We'd always have fresh food - no fast food or take out.
Now，I won't pretend (假装) our mealtimes were completely perfect. We used to fight all the time, and sometimes kick each other under the table. Nobody knew exactly what" or else" meant, but we didn't want to risk finding out.
These days, it seems like families have little time together, especially at mealtimes. However, I wonder if those families know what they're missing.
| A. And nowadays it is quite different. B. That's how we learned to share and take turns. C. I'd wash and cut up vegetables, or things like that. D. My family always used to eat dinner together, no matter what. E. Then our parents would step in, telling us to" get along or else!" |
