In her new cookbook, 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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The past week was dominated by the announcement President Obama made Sunday night that the world's most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden, was dead. Cutting in to regular network television programming, the president explained that he had authorized a raid by an elite team of Navy SEALs on a home in Abbottabad, Pakistan, where the infamous terrorist responsible for the tragic events of 9/11 was believed to be hiding. The Sunday night raid was successful, and culminated in Osama bin Laden's death and the end of a nearly decade-long manhunt for the elusive murderer and terrorist leader.
The unexpected news was met with nearly universal praise and relief here in America. Crowds quickly formed late Sunday at Ground Zero in New York City, Times Square, and outside the White House to celebrate the end of this particular chapter of a devastating American tragedy. As therapist Susan Stiffelman noted on the Huffington Post, "The very fabric of our society is built upon the notion that it is wrong to kill another human being, so the celebration of this man's death certainly has the potential to generate confusion in our children."
Do you think President Obama made the right decision in ordering the raid that led to Bin Laden's killing? Is the killing of another person ever justified? Do you think a photo of his slain body should be released? Do you think the U.S. is better off now? How old were you when 9/11 happened? Do you remember how you felt?
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To see last week's Family Dinner Download, click here.
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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).