The Family Table and Wisdom

Patrick Henry Reardon has a great article in the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of Touchstone titled, “Wisdom from the Family Table.” It is another great resource for parents as he discusses the important life training that takes place as families gather around their tables.

Here are two quotes:

“The quest of wisdom commences with learning how to eat. The most basic steps toward virtue are mastered at the family table. Character begins with etiquette. Teach a child how to dine like a human being, and you have gone wonderfully far in his education.”

“Indeed, I submit that the lessons learned at the family table are more fundamental to the pursuit of wisdom than those learned in the classroom. It is at meals that souls and minds are nourished, as well as bodies. It is largely from eating with the family that helpful information is conveyed and the foundational lines of character are formed.”