In her new book, The Family Dinner, Laurie David talks about the importance of families making a ritual of sitting down to dinner together, and how family dinners offer a great opportunity for meaningful discussions about the day's news. "Dinner," she says, "is as much about digestible conversation as it is about delicious food."
We couldn't agree more. So HuffPost has joined with Laurie to launch a new feature we're calling HuffPost Family Dinner Downloads. Every Friday afternoon, just in time for dinner, our editors highlight one of the most compelling news stories of the week -- stories that will spark a lively discussion among the whole family.
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This week, the news was dominated by the tragic shooting in Arizona that took the lives of 6 people -- including Christina Green, a 9-year old girl -- and left 14 others wounded, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. At a memorial service on Wednesday night, President Obama called on Americans to hold ourselves to the standards and expectations of Christina Green and our country's children, saying, "I want our democracy to be as good as Christina imagined it." Most Americans have taken the tragedy as a chance to reflect on our lives, our values, and our families, and on what kind of country we want America to be.
In the wake of the shooting, what are three things you think America should be and strive for? How can an event like this make us stronger -- how might something positive come out of something so tragic? At times like these, our presidents take on a different role than political leader or commander-in-chief -- what do you think a president's role should be in the wake of a national tragedy?
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To see last week's Family Dinner Download, click here.
Subscribe to receive HuffPost Family Dinner Downloads by email every Friday afternoon.
For more tips and recipes, check out The Family Dinner: Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids, One Meal at a Time by Laurie David and Kirstin Uhrenholdt (thefamilydinnerbook.com).