Three Things the Bo Sanchez Family Talk About at the Dinner Table

It is humbling to get a response from a famous lay Catholic evangelist, Bo Sanchez, about the question, "What do you talk about at the dinner table with your boys?"

You see, Bo speaks on Sundays live at the Kerygma Feasts in front of thousands of people, writes a lot of books, have TV and radio programs here and there, runs many NGOs, runs many websites (KerygmaFamily.com, BoSanchez.ph, TrulyRichClub.com, PreacherInBlueJeans.com, etc.), sits down shoulder-to-shoulder with bishops and cardinals and and does many other stuff you'd think only Superman can do.

An updated photo (2013) of the Sanchez Family.
Source: Catholic Filipino Academy website

Then, here comes an email from a newly created blog asking him, "What do you talk about with your boys at the dinner table during meal time?" Would you expect a reply in just a few days with an excited, "Hi Marvin, Sure!  My pleasure."

Well, he actually did! Now we have a peek about what goes on at the Bo Sanchez dinner table on meal time.


Bo is married to Marowe Sanchez. He has two sons, namely, Benedict (9 years) and Francis (4 years). They presently live in Paranaque.

Without further ado, here goes Bo...

- - -

Fatherhood.win: Please briefly describe the individual temperaments of your boys.

Bo Sanchez: Benedict and Francis are generally happy boys who love to play with other kids.  But both of them enjoy being alone as well, playing with their own toys or reading.  So pretty balanced.

Fatherhood.win: Please briefly describe your own temperament.

Bo: I'm an introvert who has, through the years, learned to speak before crowds, enjoy friendships, and lead people in organizations.  I love reading and being alone.  I also love being with family and close friends.

Fatherhood.win: How often do you eat meals with your family at home?

Bo: On average, two meals a day.

Fatherhood.win: What topics do you talk about with your boys while having meals with them?

Bo (emphases mine):

First, we talk about what they did during the day. I see to it that it's a topic that engages them, that they are passionate about.  Usually, it's about the book Benedict is reading, or video games he's playing, or a movie we just watched together.  We analyze it, we look at its good messages, and what aspect we don't agree with.  So my mentoring isn't planned or pre-arranged.  We get what life dishes out and I let it pass through the prism of our values and faith.

Second, we talk about his dreams and future projects. He'd talk about the book he's writing.  Or the imaginary theme park he's building.  Or the camp ground he's imagining.   It gets pretty exciting as he creates different worlds in his mind.

Third, a brief times, we talk about spiritual topics, such as "Has God been telling you to do something recently?" If he says, "Evangelize a friend," I could pursue by asking how he intends to do that.  If he says, "None," I don't push.  I just pop the question once in a awhile.

Fatherhood.win: Who initiates the topics?

Bo: Usually, I start it off.  I have to be there to lead, to initiate, to ask questions.

Fatherhood.win: How do you describe the conduct of the discussion?

Bo: Fun!  It has to be, or they won't be engaged.  When a conversation is happy, you don't have to force information out of the boys.  They tend to share openly and with much freedom.

Fatherhood.win: How open are they to share their insights or experiences about the topics?

Bo: Most of the time, they are open.  Again, because I discuss the topics they are interested in.  (Example: Do you think that video game is cool?  Why?)  I just have to insert our values and faith in the topic--and usually--they totally agree with my views.  (Example from Bene: "I just don't like the violence...")

Fatherhood.win: How responsive are your boys to your insights?

Bo: If it's within the context of a lively discussion that they are very interested in, and I share my values-based perspective, they embrace it too.  I don't ram it down their throats.  I use the drip system.  Tiny drops, given to them, over the years.

Fatherhood.win: How important are meal topics with your boys to you as a father?

Bo: Our relationship depends on meal topics.

Fatherhood.win: If there are interesting stories or insights that you wish to share that have not been covered by the previous questions, please share them here...

Bo: It was Marowe who strongly encouraged the family to take our meals as "sacred".  By that, she meant that during meals, there would be no phone calls, no texting, no reading of newspapers and books, no watching of TV or videos, etc.  And we would engage each other in happy conversation.  It's worked wonders.

- - - -

So there you have it!

Thanks Bo for sharing your life with us in this post. May God bless you and your family a million fold.

P.S. Bo Sanchez is in Facebook. Just log on to your account at Facebook.com and type "Bo Sanchez" at the search box.