What You Aren`t Teaching Your Children

What You Aren’t Teaching Your Children
Is your typical family dinner fast-food on the way home from work? Is it a traditional sitdown meal around the dinner table? Or, perhaps something in between? Our fastpaced lives all too often make meaningful interaction with family and friends scarce.
And hospitality—the generous and cordial reception of guests—is hardly on anyone’s
mind. However, few of us realize that whether it’s a family meal together or entertaining
guests, we are teaching our children essential skills and life lessons that will affect their
futures.
Shirley Dobson, wife of psychologist and author, Dr. James Dobson, has been a
gracious host to family, friends, and professionals for many years. She has long
recognized her home as a tool in caring for and encouraging others. Danae Dobson,
James and Shirley's daughter, knows and understands the importance of her mother's
teaching and role-modeling hospitality and friendship to others.
In Welcome to Our Table, part family memoir and cookbook, mother and daughter
share their unique perspectives on the importance of hospitality. Divulging secrets and
techniques, Shirley shares years of welcoming guests to her home and mastering the art
of planning and hosting. Danae, clearly impacted by her mother’s veteran experience,
enthusiastically imparts invaluable lessons about carrying out established family
traditions and using your home as much more than simply a place to live.
Just as Danae learned from Shirley, children who see how their parents interact with others and learn vital skills needed for their future
homes, social circles and workplaces. Let the Dobson’s family stories, candid photos, and cherished family recipes inspire and help you
teach your children to be hospitable. You will discover how to set the stage for memorable gatherings, such as:
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A backyard garden dinner
Easter Sunday brunch
Summer afternoon tea parties
A star-spangled Fourth of July Barbecue
Casual get-togethers with desserts and mulled cider
As Shirley and Danae share personal insights and successes you will understand that hospitality is not just about food. It’s about
connecting with people in a way that says they are important to you. Your children will benefit as they watch you model what it means to
reach out to others in love and friendship, and they will remember some of these experiences for a lifetime.
“Hospitality and expressions of human kindness
are simply too important to be overlooked.”
Shirley Dobson is chair of the National Day of Prayer Task Force and serves on the board of directors for
James Dobson's Family Talk. Mrs. Dobson is a nationally recognized author and speaker, and is well known
for her contributions to women's concerns, Christian organizations, and the institution of the family.
Author and featured speaker Danae Dobson has written 24 books. She is a popular speaker at church-related
events, conferences, and seminars for women and teens. Danae has been a guest on several television shows,
including The 700 Club, and more than one hundred radio broadcasts.
Julie Johnson built an impeccable reputation for quality and creative innovation. Since establishing her
business in 2001, her award-winning work has grown to include three published books, Prayers for My Baby
Girl, Prayers for My Baby Boy, and Southern Teatime Pleasures.
Christianne Debysingh : Senior Publicist : 888-468-4108 : cdebysingh@harvesthousepublishers.com
Harvest House Publishers │ 990 Owen Loop North │ Eugene, OR 97402
I nterview
Q uestions
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Shirley and Danae, you have coauthored a beautiful book that
is all about hospitality. Do you believe that hospitality is a
dying art in our culture?
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Why is it important to reach out to family and friends through
the practice of hospitality?
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How is it possible in our fast paced society for women to find
time to carry out this lost art form?
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Why is it important for families to have traditions?
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Would you describe one particularly meaningful Dobson
family tradition for each of you? Why is it special to you?
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Tell us about some of the settings you focus on in the book.
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What would you say to the woman listening who is thinking, "Isn't hospitality a gift? If so, I don't have that
one!"
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Danae, how did your mother teach you the importance of using your home as a form of ministry?
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Danae, what was your relationship like with your mom growing up?
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Shirley, what was your own home life like as a child? Did traditions play an important part of your
upbringing?
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Shirley, what was it like to co-author this book with your daughter?
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After reading this book, if there is one thing you hope for women to take away, what would it be?
ISBN: 978-0-7369-4389-5
October 2012 Release
8 x 10 Hardcover
96 pgs.
Christianne Debysingh : Senior Publicist : 888-468-4108 : cdebysingh@harvesthousepublishers.com
Harvest House Publishers │ 990 Owen Loop North │ Eugene, OR 97402
“
As I was going through my mom’s recipe box for this book, I discovered handwritten cards
that belonged to Grandma Alma, as well as Grandmother Myrna and Aunt Lela. Each was an
accomplished cook and often worked their magic without recipes. They could tell if a substance
was the right texture by how it felt. I’ll never forget the time I was lying in bed listening to Aunt
Lela rattling around in our kitchen. I got up to investigate, and there she was, surrounded by
flour, preparing six pies and a pound cake. Not one recipe card was in sight!”
—Danae
Here is one of our favorite Christmas recipes which is especially delicious when paired with a hot
beverage, such as mulled cider.
Eggnog Cake
1 yellow cake mix
1 (3.4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs
1 cup oil
1 cup dry sherry or cooking wine
2 tablespoons nutmeg
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix at medium speed for 3 minutes. Spray a Bundt pan with no-stick cooking
spray. Pour mixture into pan. Bake at 350º for 50 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Place the large circular cake on a silver platter and put holly and red berries around it to make it look like a wreath. Dust lightly
with powdered sugar to give the illusion that the wreath has snow on it.
Yield: 8 servings
All photographs by Julie Johnson, Vine Images.
Christianne Debysingh : Senior Publicist : 888-468-4108 : cdebysingh@harvesthousepublishers.com
Harvest House Publishers │ 990 Owen Loop North │ Eugene, OR 97402
Reflections from Shirley and Danae
Spring is ideal for outdoor entertaining. When hosting evening get-togethers, it’s fun to create ambiance with
twinkle lights, candle lanterns, and fresh flowers. Seasonal foods are a delight to serve too! Colorful salads, fresh
vegetables, and tangy strawberries are a reminder to guests that spring has sprung. (pg 11)
Since moving to Colorado Springs more than twenty years ago, God blessed us with a new network of friends.
Maybe you know a family who has recently moved to your neighborhood. Why not extend a warm welcome by
inviting them for dinner or taking them a one-dish meal. (pg 12)
Given the significance of a wedding in a young woman’s life, what a neat opportunity it is to throw a bridal shower
for her to cherish for all time. When I’ve planned such an event, I’ve done so knowing that I’m not just providing
an experience for the bride but for everyone else who will be there. Through the years I can recall showers that
I’ve attended, and each one left a mark on my life. That’s what I think about when planning any type of party. I
want to give people a special memory to reflect upon. (pg 19)
My mom instilled in me a love for tea parties, which date back to my early childhood. When I was a toddler, we
celebrated rainy days by hosting these events for my stuffed animals. We’d set my little table with plastic china
while listening to favorite Shirley Temple tunes. When I was five, my furry friends were replaced by real live
guests as Mom and I started hosting elaborate tea parties for some children in our neighborhood….Our
neighborhood tea parties were so much fun, and they provided an opportunity to teach manners and etiquette,
such as how to arrange silverware, hold and drink from a teacup, use a napkin, chew with mouths closed, and
carry on a conversation. Our tea gatherings were an effective method of teaching common politeness, and my
friends and I enjoyed acting out the instruction. (pg 35)
Childhood has inevitable bumps in the road, but many of these can be circumstantial. A kid is only a kid for a
short period of time. That’s why events such as birthday parties are so important. The years will quickly pass, and
life’s challenges and responsibilities will take hold. Someday your son or daughter will look back, perhaps in the
midst of a busy day, and reflect on a significant moment from childhood. Maybe they’ll remember a favorite
birthday that was celebrated with family and friends or a cherished gift that was received. He or she will recall that
memory with warmth and fondness and be grateful to you for making it happen. (pg 42)
A friend told me he misdialed a telephone number one day, and an older woman answered. Realizing he had
made a mistake, this friend started to apologize. The woman on the other end of the line said, “Oh, please don’t
hang up. I am eighty two years old, and no one ever calls me. Would you talk to me?” I pray that I will remember
that hospitality should include not just our established friends and colleagues, but also the lonely person next door
who is desperate for an expression of human kindness. (pg 60)
My mother has always made Valentine’s Day special. As a child I could count on coming home from school to
find her preparing an all-red meal with exception to the bread. Spaghetti was often on the menu along with pink
lemonade, red Jell-O, and cherry pie or cobbler. We would eat together as a family and present one another with
cards and “sweet nothing” gifts as tokens of our love. (pg 103)
The winter season is ideal for board games because families spend more time indoors. Why not build a fire and
put a fun buffet together, such as a potato bar with chili or barbecue meatballs (recipe pg 113). You might ask
your children to invite a few friends. Many kids come from broken homes and dysfunctional families, and you’ll
never know what experiences young people will take with them into later life. (pg 112)
Christianne Debysingh : Senior Publicist : 888-468-4108 : cdebysingh@harvesthousepublishers.com
Harvest House Publishers │ 990 Owen Loop North │ Eugene, OR 97402