by Anne Schlafly Cori
Chairman, Eagle Forum

At the center of our home was the dinner table. Our family dinner was precisely at 6 p.m. every single night. Dinner was at the dining room (not kitchen) table, which was decked out with placemats, china, and lit candles. The family dinner was an event, which my parents, Fred and Phyllis Schlafly presided over. 

Dinner was three courses: first, a plated salad, then a buffet of meat and vegetables, and always ended with a luscious dessert. We ate what was on the menu and we all ate the same food. We started with grace to bless the food. We were expected to be dressed and engage in conversation. No telephone calls were answered during dinner. 

We were a busy family, both at work and school, but this dinner hour was sacrosanct and reserved for family conversation. Nothing interfered with dinner. The time was never changed to accommodate other events. We children were expected to sit up straight, behave ourselves, and converse. We had table topics, which could be our day’s activities or national events. Our discussions were always lively and taught me how to engage in debates.

The dinner hour was the centerpiece of the family. A parent was at each end of the table, conversing and instructing their children. This Norman Rockwell image may seem old-fashioned and out-of-date, but it worked for us and I argue that it still works.

The family dinner hour produces stability. Stable families are at the very heart of a stable society, a stable economy, a stable political system, and thereby a prosperous country.

Hollywood has produced a fictional show, Mrs. America, that purports my mother Phyllis Schlafly was motivated by a hunger for power. I know what really motivated Phyllis Schlafly: her family. What did she say was her greatest achievement? Her six children. 

Hollywood, on the other hand, portrays Phyllis not  as a homemaker, but a “professional lobbyist.” In truth, home was her launching pad. All of us should consider the possibilities that can launch from the family dinner table.

My mother used her home, and her desire for her children to succeed, as the basis of her political involvement. She wanted to raise her own children, not have the government raise them. She fought for the rights of the family because she wanted to protect her family -- like a momma bear. She knew if we were to live in a free country, then other mothers must likewise protect their own children.

The second-wave feminism of the 1970s posited that women do not need men. In the Mrs. America movie, Brenda Feigen-Fasteau declares, “We are against housewives.” The rights of motherhood and family are still under assault and the collateral damage is the children. 

Every time government overreaches, families lose. When families break down, the government steps in. The subsidies that the government spends on broken families never solve the problem. A strong economy means strong families, and strong and virtuous families help create vibrant economies. When the breadwinners can have good jobs and the families can keep more of their earnings and taxes are low, then America is prosperous and healthy.

As we honor our mothers, we should also insist that mothers have the tools they need for their families. Government overreach has undermined parental rights. Mothers know better than bureaucrats what is best for their own children.

Eagle Forum has always stood for the principle that parents are the best people to make decisions on raising their own children. Families do better when the parents can choose the schools for their children (including the option of homeschooling), when parents can choose the curriculum for the children (including opting out of offensive curriculum) and can preserve the privacy rights of their children.

Then, the parents and children can enjoy the spirited discussion at the dinner table.