Family Entertainment

One of the many things we appreciate about living in the Philippines is the low cost of eating out. The four of us can eat a good, sit down meal for $11-20. In fact, it sometimes costs less to eat out than to buy all of the necessary ingredients to cook at home. Still, we’re well aware that this one meal out is the weekly or monthly salary for many of the people we see each day. That story will come at another time.

Last week, since all of our things were in boxes and suitcases in preparation to move, we went out to eat. And we spent the entire time laughing. It began with Dave doing an impersonation of me. I can’t remember what behavior he was mimicking, but it was likely related to me wanting the boys to have proper table manners. We spent the next hour joyfully making fun of one another by playing, “Who am I?” Joshua is particularly gifted in copying our idiosyncrasies and mannerisms: “Who am I? Wait guys. I just got in the door. Let me go to the bathroom first.” He does gestures, gaits, intonations--the whole thing.

As we became more jovial, we garnered more stares. We didn’t mind. As we left the restaurant still smiling, I was thinking to myself that this is what family should be like. We should know one another that well. We should spend entire meals laughing. We should attract long gazes because we enjoy the company of one another more than anyone else on earth.