NORTHERN PLANNER

The Oxo family was one of the ad campaigns I used to love – a story about a family where all the scenes take place at the dinner table.

Times have changed, so Oxo’s latest campaign tries to persuade familes to actually get together in the first place. On the face of it it seems a nice idea; Oxo can claim the heritage and have a right to comment on fragmented family relationships. BUT, a mum I know has to coerce her teenage son into every family meal, "No one else has to eat with their family", he mumbles. He sees it as some kind of punishment.

So is it fair to put extra pressure on Mums? Since they think they have enough to cope with, isn’t it a victory just to get the kids to eat something good?

I’m all for setting the cultural agenda, but I reckon Oxo would have been better finding a way to help Mums getting kids to just eat properly (more home economics in schools? How to make 4 seperate meals in an evening?).

Don’t get me wrong, I’d love the eating together thing to work, I’m just a bit unsure that Oxo can force their heritage into times that have moved on too much. I don’t have kids though, so I’d love to know what parents think.