More exploration on the idea of "sustenance"

To expand on my point on parents as the source of our sustenance, I came to the conclusion that this is most accurately shown during the "family ritual of dinner". This is where the family comes together with a unified goal, to feed, to talk, to bond and to make sure the family unit is functioning as before.

I also came across a TED Talk, by James Forbes, made in 2009. He talks about the ritual of family dinner, in his own experience. "To be family is to care and share and to look after one another." is a quote from Forbes' mother, which accurately sums up the idea of the family ritual, in this case, specifically the dinner ritual.

(http://www.ted.com/talks/james_forbes.html)

There was also an article by Jennifer McClanahan, about how the family ritual at dinner effects the lives of her family.  

"The other day I asked Zoë what she likes best about eating dinner together, she smiled and shrugged and said she just loves it. I know she loves the predictability. She lives by her schedule and doesn’t much appreciate any deviation. She also likes that she has our attention; we banned TV, phones, toys and reading material. She watches how Andy and I interact with each other, she has learned to debate nicely at the table and to agree to just disagree. But she also gets to see us slow down and relax. Now she likes to wait to share her school day until “we are all sitting down.”"

(http://www.foodonourtable.com/2011/01/the-ritual-of-cooking-and-eating-family-meals/)

This shows how her daughter is also aware of the importance of the ritual, the strong positive effect it has on her upbringing and thus provides not only physical sustenance (the food her parents provide) but also emotional sustenance, by giving her a stable family unit on which she knows she can rely.