Vernacular Genres


 Vernacular Genres

 

Ever since I can remember my parents always forced us to eat dinner as a family.  Every night my mother would cook or we would go and get food, but no matter what, we always had to eat as a family.  It was sort of an understood thing that was just normal for us.  we each had our own seperate duties.  I was the youngest so I filled up everyones cups with water, my sister set the table, my mom cooked and as soon as my dad was done changing clothes from work we all sat down and had our meal.  Once everyone was threw eating my mom started to do the dishes and the rest of us cleared the table and helped wipe down the counters.  As my sister and I got older and we realized that other kids got to sit in front of the TV while they ate dinner, keeping this tradition became a battle for my mother.  She always stood her ground though and insisted that the TV would still be there after we ate.

 

I think back now, and the whole thing seems so old fashioned.  But maybe thats what made those dinners so special.  For an hour out of every day it was like we were living in the colonial times.  The mother made dinner after a hard days work for the father and the kids had to do their chores and whatever they were capable of to help their parents.  There were no TVs to watch or dinner trays to eat off of.  Everyone sat down as a family and enjoyed one another's company.