26 thoughts on “Family Time”

  1. While this film is woefully dated and at times strange, it is sad that there are many families who never have a meal together. There are people who seldom have a meal that requires the use of utensils. I’ve even encountered a family that didn’t own a dining table! We’ve come a long way from the days when a family sat around the table together once, maybe even twice a day. Is this a good thing?

  2. I posted this because it’s the kind of Leave it to Beaver ideal that was was always held up as the way every family should be.

    Dad works. Mom cooks. The kids are squeaky clean. And everyone smiles, and smiles, and smiles.

  3. Full disclosure: since I am at work, I haven’t watched the video yet. I think families eating together is a good thing. Does this make me a fundy? Probably not, since many non-fundy families I know value this as well. I’m not complaining; this one was just more serious than funny from my perspective. To make it 73% funnier (+/- 5%), though, you could have mentioned how fundies like “praying for 10 minutes before each meal” (and often forgetting to include ‘blessing’ the food). : )

  4. I thought it looked VERY familiar, then saw the MST3K link which is where I had seen it before. Re-watched that version, which is PERFECT lampoon of this.

    @Josh it’s not just family dinner video, but putting on pretenses, etc. Leave it to Beaver on roids.

  5. @Rob

    Ah, pretenses, kind of like the pharisee and the tax collector. We know whose prayer was answered, but since when has that ever put a damper on fundy pretense?

  6. When I was part of an IFB church (just a pew sitter, not the pastor), I had no family time. I let myself get guilted into attending church every time the doors were opened, Bible institute, soul-winning, street-preaching, nursing home ministry, visit with Sunday visitors, visit with those who could care less about anything remotely spiritual, song-leader, church musician, and all the while working full-time, married, and having a family. I was told so many times, “Just get used to it brother, this is the ministry!” Friday nights were the only time I had for “family” and that too got interrupted with church “business”. Yes my family and I survived it – scars and all. I’m now a lover of God’s sovereign grace and I thank him everyday for it. It’s amazing how often fundies quote Ephesians 2:8-9 while “soul-winning” but in practice they don’t show it – works, works, works. No wonder fundy families are so dysfunctional.

    1. I remember “family” time getting preached against by the founding pastor of my after today x church. He used to heavily and loudly criticize families who were not there every time the doors were open and “gave” them Mondays as their day for family time! Don’t we all think Mondays are the bomb??? 🙄

  7. Just for the record, I grew up in a home (non-fundy) where we had dinner together nearly every day and usually breakfast as well…and Mom worked outside the home. They were great times for all of us. As a parent, I was involved in a fundy ministry that made getting together for evening meals n impossibility for a major part of the year. i guess what I’m saying is that family meal time is an asset in most cultures but it’s not just “the world” that’s ruined this wonderful time…sometimes “ministry” can do it.

  8. When I go out to eat with some of my fundy friends I love to just dig in and watch the horror on their faces…some will kindly ask if we can ask the blessing and others will just look at me disgustingly and bow their heads for the ritual “God please bless this fried food to my body prayer”. As a family we do skip the prayer sometimes and the kids will normally point out the infraction. It is always a good reminder to them and us that just going through the motions of a prayer means nothing.

  9. An entire 10 minute video and they don’t even give the characters names. That’s just plain lazy writing if you ask me. But I do have to give them credit for one of the greatest quotes I’ve ever heard. “These boys greet their dad as though they’re genuinely glad to see him, as though they really missed being away from him during the day and are anxious to talk to him.” They make dinner seem like some machiavellan manipulation. Also I can’t wait for their video on safe sex.

  10. This video is so over-the-top corny and definitely stereotypical. I grew up “fundy”, though, and can’t remember an enjoyable family dinner. . my family was far too dysfunctional. 😉 On the other hand, i do think family time together is important. But it doesn’t mean “mom” and “sister” have to do all the work and change into special clothing and make special flower arrangements . . LOL. . .

  11. I don’t know about het rest of you, but the part about the women dressing up to look attractive to the men of the family (other than the wife for her husband) seriously creeped me out.

  12. There’s so much wrong with this, it’s no wonder America went through the social upheaval it did shortly afterwards.

    Yes, the ladies dressing up “for the men” is beyond creepy. And did you notice that “brother” spent his time studying before dinner while “sister” spent her time primping or in the kitchen? Subtle message there that girls don’t need to worry about being smart, just beautiful cooks.

    Dad didn’t do a blessed thing for anyone except dish out the food (halfheartedly grabbing sister’s chair doesn’t count). Guess he put in his time already when he was “brother” in his family.

    Interesting how the children were instructed not to bring up any unpleasant subjects while talking to dad when he got home, but dad wasn’t instructed to refrain from criticizing his children during that time. Same during the mealtime – it was all the children’s responsibility to keep the dinner conversation pleasant. Never mind the unpleasant things parents say to their children…

    Being purposeful about spending time with your family is a worthy goal. Stepfordizing the family to do so is horrifying.

  13. This thing was filmed a half a century ago. It was a different world then. It was probably corny then, too. But are we not being a bit unfair in criticizing this gentle 1950’s attempt to teach ettiquette with 21st century eyes? Dad, Mother, Brother, Daughter and Junior would probably have laughed at the Victorians.

  14. In ‘A Date with the Family’ 2, we see that junior went to college, grew out his hair and tried dope. Then he got drafted and died in Nam.

  15. I am looking at the video, but listening to CreepyPasta…. it just works too well… much too well…

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