I love this commercial from Australian-based food company Masterfoods. It begins with a question. It’s one most us have probably been asked before—if you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would you choose?
The question is simple and straight-forward. It’s a no-holds bar chance to think about any human who’s ever existed on this earth. If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be? As the interviewer asks the question and smiles spread across each face.
Anyone—really anyone—we could possibly have dinner with?
We have so many influences—from musicians to writers, pastors to actors—there are so many people we admire. From Justin Bieber to Nelson Mandela, couples sit together to answer the question. Some responses seem thoughtful while others appear off-the-cuff and funny.
After the adults finish sharing their dream dinner, the kids shuffle in. Parents are positioned behind the camera to watch what happens while their kids are asked the very same question.
“If you could have dinner with anyone in the world—dead or alive, who would you choose?”
Answers range from mom and dad to extended family. Time after time, the answers are the same—family. One boys sums up the heart of the commercial, “Does it have to be a celebrity? Could it be family?”
Family matters.
Our perspective can be challenged when we view the world through the eyes of a child. When we imagine joining someone special at the dinner table as adults, we tend to think of lofty people doing lofty things. We think of important people we’d like to interact with, from whom we could gain wisdom, and hear about an amazing adventure. Our kids are looking at the exact same questions and thinking about their answer through the exact same lens—who they’d like to interact with, glean wisdom from and hear about an amazing adventure.
As schedules fill and “busy” becomes a badge of honor, making time to sit down for dinner doesn’t always make the cut. But the simple investment of time together at the dinner table matters – it matters a great deal to kids.
Family matters.
Orphans around the world couldn’t care less about having dinner with famous people doing famous-people things. They’d give anything for a home-cooked meal around the table with mom and dad.
Back2Back commits to family dinner through family-style care. It’s the kind of care that provides care for today and hope for tomorrow. It’s someone to cook breakfast and give goodnight kisses. This commercial reminded me yet again of how simple it can be to love and provide for my own kids. My kids aren’t looking for the next big toy or trendy electronic device (despite what they might be telling us). What they really want, more than anything, more than they maybe even really know how to express—is the love, attention, devotion, bond and security of a family.
Family is everything.