A Prairie Home Companion: October 7, 2006

Supper script
Saturday, October 7, 2006
Listen

Garrison Keillor: ...after this message for parents of young people. (MUSIC)

Sue Scott: Our daughter Amanda is 13 and she spends most of her time upstairs in her room on the Internet or on her cellphone. She sends us e-mails now and then, short e-mails, what she wants for dinner. That sort of thing. So I run down to the supermarket and get it. We try to eat together. She has a webcam. We try to do things together. We're all over her MySpace page. I read her blog every day.

GK: When were you last in her room?

SS: In her room? You mean, like — inside?

GK: Yes.

SS: I don't think she would like that.

GK: Maybe you should knock on her door and ask her to come down and eat supper.

SS: You mean, like— come down here?

GK: Yes.

SS: I don't know if that's a good idea. When I called her on the way home it went straight into voicemail. I could post a message on her chat board. She usually gets back to me within a couple days.

GK: Supper. It's just a good idea. Even if you're carrying on a lot of communication with your children by various media, supper is a good platform for getting to know each other. It may be rocky sometimes—

SS: Pass the potatoes, please, darling.

SS (TEEN): (SNARL) You ruined my life!!! I hate you!!!

GK: But supper with the family is a tradition worth keeping.

(DIAL NUMBER. THREE RINGS. CLICK. SS TEEN VOICE: Yeah, it's me, so leave a message. Whatever. (BEEP)

SS: Darling, I just thought it'd be lovely if all of us could sit down and have supper tonight. You know. In real time? At the table?

GK: Supper. It doesn't have to be fancy. But you have to be there. So come to supper. A message from Americans For Evening Meals.