There's a new boy in my class," my son Brock commented after school one day.
"Did you invite him to eat lunch at your table?" I asked.
"No, I didn't want to," he casually replied.
That evening as our family gathered around the kitchen table for dinner, Brock noticed there was no place setting in his regular spot.
"Mom, where am I supposed to sit?" he asked.
"I set a spot for you in the dining room," I replied.
Confused, he went to the dining room to eat alone. Minutes later, he came into the kitchen with a knowing expression on his face.
"Mom, you made your point. It's no fun to eat alone. I'll ask the new kid to eat with me tomorrow."
This article appeared in the October/November 2011 issue of Thriving Family
magazine and was titled "Alone at Lunchtime." Copyright © 2011 by Sue Heimer. Used by permission. ThrivingFamily.com.