Suppertime isn't like it used to be back in the day. When was the last time your entire family sat down together for the evening meal? Those of us in our elder years know what I am talking about. It's not an every day event anymore, even on Sunday.

I fault fast food for part of this breakdown in family togetherness. A different lifestyle is another reason. Mickey D's and Subway have spoiled us. Mom or Dad might stop and pick up supper on the way home from work. Yup, everyone works nowadays. Back then, there were stay-at-home moms. It was a full time job. All the labor-saving devices were still in the future. Boy, that's a joke. We have less time for family now than we did back then. We had time to sit down and eat together, to be a family.

In our house, I set the table with plates, silverware, iced tea glasses, bread and butter. Dad would be reading the paper, catching up on the news while mother busied herself dishing up supper and placing various bowls on the table. When all was in place, Mother announced, “Supper's ready.”

We quickly slid into our chairs at our place at the table and waited for Dad to fill his plate. No one touched anything until Dad was ready to eat. Then it was everyone for himself. I had a pretty good boarding house reach, quicker than my brothers. For a few minutes the only words to be heard were ones such as, ”Pass the potatoes, please.” Then the pace of eating slowed down. Mother and Dad would discuss the events of their day. We sat quietly and listened until it was our turn. “How did school go today, Shirley?” I would pass on the highlights of my day, always putting myself in the best light possible. Our attention turned to my brothers next. They usually didn't have much to say. After all, one had to be careful not to tell on yourself. Mother often said that we were little hellions.

What does all this prove? It gave each one of our family members the opportunity to take part in meaningful conversation. There was no silent texting. We learned how to put sentences together in a significant way that got the point across to our listeners.

We learned manners, too. “Get your elbows off the table, Rodney.” “Don't eat so fast, Russell.” I could say that my manners were perfect, but that wouldn't be true. There is no one around to bring me to task. “Pass the green beans, please,” was the way I was taught, but as I said before, I had a good boarding house reach.

The main point of this episode to remember is the “table talk.” Ask teenagers today to define it and they will look at you like you are speaking some foreign language. We learned manners at the supper table. We learned how to carry our part of a conversation. We learned our place in the family hierarchy. We were part of a family at supper, not individuals. I remember well. It brings tears to my eyes.