Mumsnet Talk

Dp works odd hours, sometimes he is here others he isn't, it does make mealtimes harder to plan ahead etc. Work definitely gets in the way

Sometimes if we have been out or just had a manic day I do feed the kids first then we eat after they are in bed, this can also be true if DP is working late as if we don't eat together he tends just to snack on toast and crisps

I really hope that as the children get older mealtimes will become more of a happy occasion to all catch up rather than a battle to stop little ones having a meltdown!!

I think as they are getting older it is easier to all sit down together and actually enjoy our meal together.

I don't allow the tv to be on or any games/toys of any type at the table as the kids just then mess around and get distracted from eating.

Space is a huge issue for us, there are 7 of us in total and we only have a kitchen/diner big enough for a table that sits 6, which is fine whilst youngest is in a highchair. Not quite sure what we are going to do to all fit around table as she gets older!!

The only tips I have is to just be organised. Have dinner ready before the little ones start getting cross, grumpy and hungry as then it's no fun for anybody. It just turns into some kind of war zone!

We eat together unless the children have an evening activity and need to be out of the house before their father gets home, or if one of us parents is out for the evening. I imagine we will eat together less on week nights as the children get older and have more activities and social events to get to.

We have no rules about technology at mealtimes, but I don't think any of us would think it appropriate to use a phone or watch TV when eating anyway. It's not been a problem I've had to tackle, yet...

There is plenty of dining space, in the kitchen and dining room, so no problems with getting everyone seated.

We manage to eat together because luckily my husband gets home from work in time for dinner, and I have plenty of time to prepare an evening meal. Also I don't mind compromising and making meals that we'll all eat, even if the adults might prefer something spicier or more adventurous. Having dinner together is the norm, so it's not something I have to make an especial effort to orchestrate.

On weekdays, no - DS has a full hot meal at school, so doesn't want one in the evening. And in the gap between end of work and his bedtime its much nicer to cuddle up with a bowl of fruit/cheese/toast together while we chat than making a meal none of us is hungry for. At weekends we do though. I'm sure when he is older we will do more evening eating - just tricky when dh and I don't finish work till 5 and ds needs to be in bed at 7.

No technology, or anything else at the table. I hate people with mobiles at the table with a passion, and don't get me started on games consoles.

My lot (there are eight of them but two at university) all eat together and always have done. Except for breakfast which they come to in dribs and drabs. Definitely no TV and not only because there's no TV point in the kitchen, which is where the table is. It's one time that they all get together and talk. Lots of logistics to juggle because someone seems to be out almost every night, sometimes I'm out at meetings myself and also because there's only one meal that everyone eats (a couple are vegetarians and they all have genuine likes and dislikes which I'd rather work around). Meals are now down to a pretty fine art!

Do you get the whole family together for an evening meal? Do work, travel or other commitments get in the way? Do you want to have a family meal in the evening or would you rather eat later when children are in bed? How has this changed as your family has got older - or how do you envisage it changing? Does it get easier or harder to eat together as children get older?-- We do eat most of our meals together around the table, however DH works terrible shifts which means he doesnt always join us. On some occasions i will wait for Dh but most of the time i just eat with the dc's. I cant see this changing in the very near future (and my eldest is 11 this year) but i should imagine when they are older family meal times will phase out

What about technology at the table - do you allow TV on, mobiles or games consoles at mealtimes? Do you have rules or go with the flow?-- Sometimes the TV is left on in the background but i say an absloute NO to game consoles and mobiles <dh often brakes this rule >

What about space? Is that an issue for you and your family?-- We have a very large living diner that fits our huge table. When we look to move space for our dining table is a priority.

If you manage to get your family eating together in the evening, please share any top tips you have for other parents about how you manage to make it work.--My tip would be to stick to the same routine. sort a similar dinner time <if possible> and get the dcs to clear/set up the table. My dcs's love to get the cutlery out and get drinks for everyone, makes them feel part of helping with mealtimes.

DS1 sit down, DS2 off the table, we don't sit on the table, DS1 please come back and sit down, yes, that is a lovely picture, sit. DS2, off, off the table, sit, sit down. Everybody, sit down. Lovely, thank you, now, how was your day?

DP: can you get DS1 a drink please.

Repeat.

That's my family meal-time story, hth.

we have a strict 'no toys at the table rule'-otherwise, given the choice, my children would happily fork the food in whilst DSing with the other hand

no TV in the dining room either-although we have the radio on over breakfast

our mealtimes are improved by having food in serving dishes in the centre of the table so that everyone can serve themselves-it seems to encourage more converation/interaction and the children often try things

one of the biggest issues for me is trying to keep the dining table clutter free so that I don't have to spend 10 minutes before every meal clearing books/letters from school/bookbags/newspapers/colouring/crayons etc away. I don't have a solution to this yet as there doesn't seem to be anywhere else in the house to put all this stuff!

DCs responsible for clearing homework, drawings, pens etc off the table and for laying the table and getting drinks for everyone before eating. We dont all eat together every night but always on Friday evenings and weekends.

Absolutely no technology, tv etc while eating.

It has got easier as they have passed the toddler years but I can see when we hit the teenager era it will be hard to get everyone in the house at the same time let alone at mealtimes.

Do you get the whole family together for an evening meal? Do work, travel or other commitments get in the way? Do you want to have a family meal in the evening or would you rather eat later when children are in bed? How has this changed as your family has got older - or how do you envisage it changing? Does it get easier or harder to eat together as children get older?

We have 2 kids with ASD and assorted issues around eating and food, so eating together as a family in the evening is very important to us. We sacrifice breakfast all together by DH going to work early enough to get home in time for us all to eat together at about 5:30. DS2 often refuses to eat any more if one of us leaves the table for any reason, so having his family around him to encourage him with foods he finds a bit difficult is very important to him.

DS1 often refuses to food and tends to be demand avoidant, so when he is stressed he sometiems has extreme difficulty with the whole idea that "we eat at dinner time". This does mean that occasionally, dinner time just involves 3 of us, while DS1 prowls around the room in a rather agitated state. We don't try to force him to come and sit with us, though, as it's not helpful to him.

What about technology at the table - do you allow TV on, mobiles or games consoles at mealtimes? Do you have rules or go with the flow?

Nothing with a screen is allowed. TV, computers and everything go off as food is being served and we listen to the radio or a CD. We don't allow toys or books, either. Mealtimes are for eating.

What about space? Is that an issue for you and your family?

It's a bit of a squeeze to get around it, but we do have a dining table, which we tend to gather at for more than mealtimes.

If you manage to get your family eating together in the evening, please share any top tips you have for other parents about how you manage to make it work.

It has to be something you actually do, rather than something you just talk about. And it definitely won't happen if your dining table is used as a storage space for laundry or piles of paper! Keep it clear and use it whenever you need to do things together with or alongside other members of your family, right from when your kids are small and sitting there to eat with each other (however many of you can eat together at once) will feel a lot more natural.

Do you get the whole family together for an evening meal? Do work, travel or other commitments get in the way? Do you want to have a family meal in the evening or would you rather eat later when children are in bed? How has this changed as your family has got older - or how do you envisage it changing? Does it get easier or harder to eat together as children get older?

It varies. Partner works away during week so I tend to sit with the kids while they eat, sometimes eating with them sometimes leaving it till after they're in bed or not bothering at all. Do try to have meal together when can but son with SN finds that very difficult so don't force it on him too much.

What about technology at the table - do you allow TV on, mobiles or games consoles at mealtimes? Do you have rules or go with the flow?
Sometimes letting DS with SN watch dvd at table only way to get him to eat. Prefer not to though.

What about space? Is that an issue for you and your family?
Space ok but would like more.

We have a lovely kitchen-diner so we can gather while the meal is being prepared and spend extended time together that way while homework is done and mail opened etc.

We've always tried to eat with out daughter - just adjusted times so we were intially eating at 5 or 5.30pm (dh worked at home then so more flexible).

As she's got older the time has got later, so it's now ideally 6.30-7pm.

DH comes home at variable times so he'll give me a half-hour warning before he leaves work so I can aim to get the meal on the table when he walks in. This coincides with it being a reasonable hour for my daughter to eat with us about half the time. Otherwise I eat with her and he gets the reheated version.

(About once a fortnight he comes home and goes straight to a business call and eats at his desk .)

I nag away that meal-times are for quality conversation but often dh is completely pooped and will stare vacantly at his dinner and grunt .

Definitely no technology allowed or reading unless it's something we're all discussing.

We almost always eat togtether at weekends - dh does most of it and often dd helps out which is great for them to do stuff together (with her learning cookery skills - an improvement on her putting boiling water on a flavoured packet of noodles in a school cookery lesson - no kidding ).

Do you get the whole family together for an evening meal? Do work, travel or other commitments get in the way? Do you want to have a family meal in the evening or would you rather eat later when children are in bed? How has this changed as your family has got older - or how do you envisage it changing? Does it get easier or harder to eat together as children get older?

We try to eat together every evening as DS although when DH has to work late sometimes DS and I have to eat separately. I would hate to eat seperately from DS as would not want to cook two meals.

What about technology at the table - do you allow TV on, mobiles or games consoles at mealtimes? Do you have rules or go with the flow?

The TV is normally on in the background but no toys are allowed. If DHs mobile rings then I try to get him to take the call later but this doesn't always happen

What about space? Is that an issue for you and your family?

We are only 3 and we have a table that can sit 6 so no problems with that!

If you manage to get your family eating together in the evening, please share any top tips you have for other parents about how you manage to make it work.

It just has to be normal that everyone eats at the same time...... no discussion about "I'll eat later" etc.

Do you get the whole family together for an evening meal? Do work, travel or other commitments get in the way? Do you want to have a family meal in the evening or would you rather eat later when children are in bed? How has this changed as your family has got older - or how do you envisage it changing? Does it get easier or harder to eat together as children get older?

We always hev our family meal together in the kitchen. In fairness our 3-year-old toddler cannot normally eat after a busy day at nursery. First of all he eats so much there, secondly he is far too tired. But on the 4 non-nursery days we sit down together.
While my DH cooks, we discuss what happened during the day and listen to the news on the radio. We normally finish dinner by 6.30 pm.
We also read The Guardian and do the crossword.
It seems to be getting harder to make him sit down, as he gets older.

What about technology at the table - do you allow TV on, mobiles or games consoles at mealtimes? Do you have rules or go with the flow?

No TV, but Radio Five Live is sometimes on. No mobiles, but I often check my private emails, as this is the only time I can grab the family computer for my own.

What about space? Is that an issue for you and your family?

Not in terms of mealtime. Our kitchen is big enough to have a table for four in it, and still be ebale to cook comfortably.

If you manage to get your family eating together in the evening, please share any top tips you have for other parents about how you manage to make it work.

If you offer him carrots and broccoli, and possibly ice cream, he joins us. He then starts kicking his Daddy...
If he has not been to nursery for a while, he starts missing his regular sit-down meals and his little routines, so it is easier to entice him to the table.
Since his 1st birthday he only ever eats the food we eat. He looks disgusted if we try to offer him specially-cooked "baby / toddler food".
He also likes to share a glass of drink with us. We all say "Cheers" and drink some milk with him (sometimes we drink wine, which he calls coffee).
Involving him in the cooking also helps him to get interested in the dinner, but that is not an option when he can hardly keep his eyes open.

We have always eaten the evening meal together from when the children were old enough to sit in a high chair at the table. Once or twice a week my daughter eats later due to her job.

No technology at the table (except, obviously, if waiting for an urgent call from a family member)

Space is not an issue - we have a large dining table which is used for homework etc. as well.

Due to family allergies I cook a "core" meal with variations for those who need it add I do avoid foods which people really dislike (there's only one or two). Meals together are for chatting and we try to keep things relaxed and avoid anything which might cause a real argument as opposed to a spirited discussion.

Probably 4 out of 7 meals we will sit down together all four of us, due to children's clubs, eg, Brownies, dancing. I like the fact that the evenings when we are all together we will have family discussions about our days/ school/ homework, etc. We have a no TV/ toys at the table rule. I also enjoy the 3 eves when my DH and I get to have a grown-up meal (maybe a very spicy dish, or something a bit less child-friendly) and on those eves the children will eat earlier, about 5pm.

Occasionally, when there is a 'mad day' such as today (parents' eve at school/ piano lesson), I will have made the dinner early and we will all eat at convenient times. So, today I have made a chicken rissotto, which can be reheated as and when by each of us.

We don't use mobiles at the table or answer the phone.

We have a large kitchen table in our kitchen diner.

I have a no dessert unless you've finished your veggies rule, sit properly, (I do sound strict!), but it seems to work.

Should also add that my slow-cooker is an absolute god-send, and like most busy mums, some days I don't think we'd eat if it wasn't for this great invention!

Oh, and my kids are 5 and 8.

We eat together at the weekend, and on days when I am not at work (work part time), DH is doing research so can make it back in time at the moment.

No mobiles or phone answering, although easy to enforce when all your children are under four.

We have a large kitchen dining room. The rule is you have to try the food. If you don't like it (i it's new and they aren't just pulling a fast one) then you can have bread and butter instead, but otherwise unless the children eat a large part of their dinner I tell them they don't have pudding as they obviously aren't hungry.

I put a large jug of water on the table, and after the children have finished their juice they get water from the jug, we drink it too to make it seem like a grown up treat. Previously I had felt like a waitress in a cafe of demented patrons.

I also allow my older child to serve himself from the serving dishes, can't remember which food guru I pilfered the idea from, but it works.

Do you get the whole family together for an evening meal? Do work, travel or other commitments get in the way? Do you want to have a family meal in the evening or would you rather eat later when children are in bed? How has this changed as your family has got older - or how do you envisage it changing? Does it get easier or harder to eat together as children get older?

We try to eat together but it does depend on various factors. Sometimes, if it's been a long day I'll eat on my own in the living room just to chill out a bit. Occasionally dh has to work late/away or misses the train and I'll then give the kids their tea without him. We've always done it like this and I think as they get older it will become easier in some ways but more difficult in others. For example, I imaging they might have after school activities or want to go to their friend's house for tea but it will be easier in the sense that they'll be a bit older and we can enjoy it a bit more. No toddler deciding to throw food on the floor in protest

What about technology at the table - do you allow TV on, mobiles or games consoles at mealtimes? Do you have rules or go with the flow?

As above I do sometimes sit in front of the tv. We don't have a tv in the kitchen so it's not an issue at mealtimes. The kids are too small to have mobiles, etc and I never have mine there. Dh usually has his nearby but it's v v rare that it rings. We do have occasional nights where we have something like Pizza Night - eating pizza in front of the tv type of thing. The only 'rule' we have is that we sit at the table until everyone finishes - though we go with the flow a little (e.g. nappy changes, going to the loo or if dd1 has been really good at eating her tea we let her go play early as a reward)

What about space? Is that an issue for you and your family?

It's ok when it's just the 4 of us, just a bit of squeezing past chairs if we forget something. If we have anyone else round (like parents/IL's) then it's a bit tricky. We have to pull the table out from the wall and it's a bit squashed.

The only tip I can think of really are to try and keep the table clear and not use it as a dumping ground for stuff.

DH works away during the week and DD has a hot meal at pre-school so doesn't want a 'proper' evening meal. She tends to have a snack of cheese, ham, cucumber, pepper etc at 5pm and then I eat once she has gone to bed at 6.30pm.

At weekends we eat all meals together. I am hoping as DD gets older she will eat a bit later in the evening so we can eat together....

No technology at the table. We eat in the kitchen so no TV although I sometimes have the radio on at breakfast.

Space is no problem as we have a large kitchen diner to eat in.

If you manage to get your family eating together in the evening, please share any top tips you have for other parents about how you manage to make it work.

The only way we get to eat together in the evening is if its a weekend and we have to eat early (5pm) to make sure DD isn't too tired!

We're at the other end of the age spectrum now, with DS1 aged 19 and DS2 aged 16.

We only started eating together about 5 years ago, when we no longer had our nanny. The boys were also much more able to wait to eat until later by then - sometimes we don't eat until 8.00pm, depending on what time I finish work/get home to cook the dinner.

To be honest, now they are the age they are, it's sometimes just as painful as when they were little! They would quite happily just sit down, trough their food and get up straight away, without having the bother of conversation!

I always set the table (cloth, mats, condiments) and serve food in serving dishes for everyone to help themselves.

No TV on whilst we're eating, and certainly no electronic gadgets.

Space isn't an issue for us - dining table easily seats 6 (8 if extended).

What makes it easier? When they are old enough to behave without too much nagging/shouting, and when they like food! Thankfully I have two boys who will eat pretty much anything, and so I only ever cook one meal for us all. They both enjoy their food, which makes it rewarding for me as well.

During mealtimes the focus is at the table. TV switched off. No consoles, computers, etc in the room, nor making sounds elsewhere in the house. Sometimes we might have music playing quietly.

Weekends we eat all meals together, unless any of us lie in or get up early.

Weekday evenings:

Once a week we have candles at the table. We try always to have a dessert at this meal. At the end, when the dishes have been cleared from the table, we will often switch the lights off and sit chatting by candle-light for a few minutes, before heading off upstairs to start the bed-time routines. All 3 dc are included.

Once a week dh and I eat together, after the younger two have gone to bed and the eldest dc is quietly engaged elsewhere. He is welcome to join us, but is not encouraged to do so.

The rest of the time we eat together if dh is home soon enough and it fits in with things like Cubs, Brownies, adult commitments etc.

We like to eat together as a family but as DD is 2 and DP works long hours this only happens once every blue moon in the week, so we make a point of doing it at weekends. DD has a bit of a sparrow's appetite and she eats much better and tries food more readily when we eat together.

No tecnhology at the table although DP and I sometimes eat off our laps in front of tv.

Re space dining room tends to double as playroom so does look a bit randomn in there.

we try to eat together 5 or 6 nights a week. Im lucky enough to be at home all day and DH has a 9-5 job, however even when I worked we still did it.

Plan meals in advnace and if possible use slow cooker or cook earlier in quiet part of the day (if you have one) and reheat later.

Have a table and chairs. It doesnt need to be huge or fancy but enough that you can sit together.

Ban TV, mobile phones and Laptop being at the table, on at all and stick to it. Its only 30 mins surely anything can wait that long and if its urgent they will call back.

Get the kids to help set the table, this prepeares them for getting ready for dinner and makes getting them to the table eaiser.

Make it fun. Ask the kids about their day, talk about when you were young and also sing if needed. Dont pressure children to eat, it causes stress for everyone, trust them when they say they are full up.

At the moment as DH is home late I either eat with the boys or I wait and eat with him when he is home, at weekends we eat all meals together. I am returning to FT work soon and the boys are getting older so hopefully we will be able to eat together more in the weekday evenings as their bedtime will get later.

NO TV/mobiles etc at the table. We do occasionally have a picnic tea in front of the TV, picky food.

Space is OK, we have a table and chairs in the kitchen and a dining room where we all eat together. Kitchen has an easily wiped floor though!

At weekends I like to make a banquet type meal with lots of different food to try, some food that I know the boys like and some that are new to them. That way they won't get hungry but can try new foods. They also like to help cooking, which makes them more likely to try food.

its like 10 little indians in my house

when they wee school age it was my three kids and at least a friend each or tea.

the oldest one now has his own flat so that left two adults and two kids + friends

the twins turned eighteen last week and rarely come home for tea.Now DH and i sit at a dining table made for six people. i cook for two.

I can just see your sad faces as you're reading this. But nay i tell thee! cooking and washing up for two is fabbo. dh and i are able to talk about each others day uninterupted.

we no longer have to pretend we are interested in tales about how charlotte isn't speaking to james becuase of something dylan whispered at breaktime to tammy in geography class. no i tell you, now its grown up conversation at the table and we don't have to coerce and bribe anyone to eat anything. we cook and eat what we want.

unless they all descend with friends then suddenly there can be 10 people eating!

Do you get the whole family together for an evening meal? Do work, travel or other commitments get in the way? Do you want to have a family meal in the evening or would you rather eat later when children are in bed? How has this changed as your family has got older - or how do you envisage it changing? Does it get easier or harder to eat together as children get older?

we try to eat together every night at the table, use placemats and napkind for every meal - myself. DH and 2 DCs. this is our normal for our mealtimes and it suits everyone.

What about technology at the table - do you allow TV on, mobiles or games consoles at mealtimes? Do you have rules or go with the flow?

no mobiles, consoles whilst eating but if there is a football match on TV DH is allowed to see it

What about space? Is that an issue for you and your family?

we are only 2 adults and 2 children so space is not an issue. when GPs come over for christmas lunch then extra chairs are needed but we are not too squashed

top tips

well firstly DCs like to help 'set' the table (help with napkins/placemats/cutlery etc) and they always help 'clear' the table and both enjoy helping me in the kitchen.

eating at the table is a normal family thing and i am proud that my DCs have good table manners

do you get the whole family together for an evening meal?

Yes. Most evenings we eat together though on a Saturday the boys eat earlier and we have a romantic dinner together.

Do work, travel or other commitments get in the way? Occasionally as DH is away sometimes but then I would eat with the children.

Do you want to have a family meal in the evening or would you rather eat later when children are in bed? AS above

How has this changed as your family has got older - or how do you envisage it changing?

My boys are 8 and 6 so no change yet but it is a time to catch up on the day and share funny stories as to what we have been up too.

Does it get easier or harder to eat together as children get older?

Dont know

What about technology at the table - do you allow TV on, mobiles or games consoles at mealtimes?

TV can go on on a Saturday but if we eat together then NO TV or DS or Ipods!

Do you have rules or go with the flow? We always set the table nicely with table mats and candles and flowers and the boys know we like good table manners and that they have to try everything on their plate.

What about space? Is that an issue for you and your family?
No issue

Meal times used to be HARD WORK and DH and I would dread them but we have relaxed a lot and try not to stress about meals and food. However if the main meal is not eaten then there is nothing else to eat. All food has to be tried.

We try and meal plan as a family so everyone gets a say in what we eat and we try and plan meals that everyone will enjoy some element of.

One child sets the table and the other one clears the table. They help to stack the dishwasher and DH cleans the kitchen.

Do you get the whole family together for an evening meal? Do work, travel or other commitments get in the way? We try to as much as possible. DH works a really random shift pattern so it's not always possible for him to eat with us. I try to eat with DD on the days when he's not around. At the mo, I'm on mat leave so I can manage this quite easily. But I do foresee it being more difficult when I go back to work, esp as I won't be home until at least 6pm 4 days a week and DD's bedtime is 6.30pm.

Do you want to have a family meal in the evening or would you rather eat later when children are in bed? I like to eat together but DD needs to eat so early, there are occasions when I'm simply not hungry enough to eat a dinner. On those occasions, I might wait for DH to get home (depending on his shift) or eat by myself later on.

How has this changed as your family has got older - or how do you envisage it changing? See above.

Does it get easier or harder to eat together as children get older? I think it#s become easier.

What about technology at the table - do you allow TV on, mobiles or games consoles at mealtimes? Do you have rules or go with the flow? Definitely no mobiles or games consoles. We do allow the TV but if DD isn't concentrating on her meal, it'll get turned off.

What about space? Is that an issue for you and your family? No, plenty of space to sit together and eat.

We keep dinner time low stress, there's no pressure on DD to clean her plate and she eats a really good range of food so if she does say she doesn't like something, as long as she's tried a little bit, that's fine. She's also really excited when other people come for lunch/dinner eg grandparents. It's her job to lay the table for every meal. I also find I have to prompt her to make sure she has a drink and has been to the loo before we sit down or inevitably this is what she wants halfway through dinner. I find I do have to remind DH to stay at the table until DD has finished eating quite a lot though!

We always eat dinner as a family sat at the dining table. If the phone rings we dont answer and we dont allow any other distractions at the dinner table.

Although I do let the boys watch TV at breakfast time whilst I have a shower.

I try and make meals that everyone will eat and tailor the LO's mealtime for whenever DH is going to make it in.

I sit LO at the main dining table too so he is part of what's going on, and make him stay there until we're all finished - even if ITNG is on!!!

3 yo dd and 21 mo ds.

dh HATES eating with kids. i would love to do it more. we only really eat as a family at lunch at the weekends. Even then, I think dh gets a bit grumpy when i disappear into the kitchen for half an hour.

What he hates is them throwing food around and/or insisting he feed them. Also, the choice of food's always a compromise when we're eating with kids. He wants to relax with a dinner he likes later in the evenings in front of the tv . For the record, he can't cook a thing. So if he is to get a dinner in the evenings, it'd be the 4th meal I'd prepared that day! Also we both get hungry in the evenings if we eat early with kids, and feeding them after 6pm is not really an option.

I am really looking forward to when the kids are older and I can do one big meal for everyone in the evening. That was how I was brought up, we ate good food together and my parents had wine and it was relaxed. Maybe 7-8pm ish. DH's family ate at 6pm, even when kids in teens, and it was really stressful I think.

Do you get the whole family together for an evening meal?

Yes. DP gets home at 5pm each evening so we tend to have dinner altogether then. If he happens to be working late, which maybe happens once or twice a month then I eat with the children at 5pm, as usual, and save DP his to have when he gets in. On a Saturday DP and I usually have a nice meal together with wine when the children are in bed.

Do you want to have a family meal in the evening or would you rather eat later when children are in bed?

No, we all enjoy the family mealtimes during the week. It gives us all a chance to catch up on what we've each done that day and it's really enjoyable (until DS decides he's had enough after two bits of dinner but still demands pudding....sigh).

Does it get easier or harder to eat together as children get older?

The DC are 6 and 4 at the moment and as DP gets in from work at 5pm it's perfect. DD goes to Beavers on a Wednesday but as that doesn't start until 6.45pm we still all eat together. I imagine as they both get older and have more stuff going on it will certainly get trickier but I hope and will definitely insist on us all eating together at least two or three times a week if poss.

What about technology at the table - do you allow TV on, mobiles or games consoles at mealtimes? Do you have rules or go with the flow?

We eat dinner at the dining table which is in the playroom. We don't have a TV in there so there are no distractions. We did use to have a TV in there but the DC either wanted whatever they were watching left on or DP wanted the news on. Now it's not there it isn't an option and works so much better. An absolutely no-no would be games consoles or toys.

What about space? Is that an issue for you and your family?

Not an issue as there are only 4 of us and we fit fine around the table. Although there are always arguments about who is sitting next to Mummy etc etc. ARGH!

If you manage to get your family eating together in the evening, please share any top tips you have for other parents about how you manage to make it work.

It is easy for us as I am at home during the day so have time to prepare the evening meal in the daytime so all that needs doing is the last bits. It always seems manic after school with homework needing to be done/spellings practised etc. We start laying the table etc at 4.30pm ready to sit down for 5pm/5.15pm. I menu plan for the week and on the days we may be busy after school I usually have something easy arranged (frozen shepherd's pie from the freezer for example). I like to cook in bulk so if I make meatballs I'll make the double the quantity, freeze the other half which is then dead easy to defrost on a night when we're busier. Ditto with pasta sauce, I make a big pan of it then put portions into containers in the freezer. Really handy for lots of different meals.

If the DC have friends coming for tea homemade pizzas are a favourite. They each get a pizza base and I put lots of different toppings in bowls and they make their own.

Also on a weekend when we have more time DD (6) likes to help write the shopping list and she enjoys flicking through my recipe books to decide what we can make. On a Sunday we'll have a roast and the kids will decide which veg they'd like etc.

Both DC like to help cook and they always help to lay the table (not always with the right cutlery - last night I looked across the table at DD and she was eating her soup with a fork! She'd forgotten to give herself a spoon!).

hmmmm, sometimes sitting down as a family used to make me anxious so i would avoid it, and just let the kids eat together and i would eat on my own - it has got easier as the kids have got older and now we sit down more together to eat. I always keep my table clear and clean at all times. No toys at the table allowed either.

My parents were always strict about the evening meal - the tv had to be switched off and we sat at the table. I thought I would be a lot less strict about it, but as my little boy has got older I've realised that mealtimes become quite isolated if the television is on. Everyone is in their own little world and no conversation takes place. So now I have adopted my parents attitude and we sit at the table and talk while we eat.

There is no pressure to talk as each person concentrates on eating, but it has gradually become a happy time where we laugh and share the day.

Lunchtimes are different with everyone rushing in and out of the house. There is no real structure and there are no rules.

Mealtimes always include my son, we eat before he goes to bed to ensure he is part of this little family tradition I am trying to continue.

We eat together when we can, we often have tv on though not all the time. Mostly watching the news. I grew up in a house where we weren't allowed TV at the same time as meals so it feels like an indulgence!

Eat at our little table every night though, unless we are feeling VERY lazy.

SAoemtimes we don't get to when one of us is working very late though!

We like to eat together as a family but as DD is 2 and DP works long hours this only happens once every blue moon in the week, so we make a point of doing it at weekends. DD has a bit of a sparrow's appetite and she eats much better and tries food more readily when we eat together.

No tecnhology at the table although DP and I sometimes eat off our laps in front of tv.

Re space dining room tends to double as playroom so does look a bit randomn in there..

Whenever possible we try to eat our evening meal at the table together, although this isn't always possible due to my Husband's odd working hours!

We try to ensure that the TV is off and no toys are allowed at the table. We have recently implimented a new "no mobile phone" rule to try and protect our family time from outside stresses...

We do have a space issue as our dining table is too big for our new house and as we now have a new 8 day old addition to our family, we're going to have to look at getting a smaller table so that we can actually all fit round it when he is a bit bigger!

We only eat as a family when dh is home which is only on a Sunday - we generally have a roast meal together.
I try to eat with the kids at least 3 times a week during the week.
We have got sufficient space for us all to sit down.
We don't allow TV or games consoles at the table, but when it is just me and the kids, they generally have books on the table and flick through those.

DH and I eat together when he gets home at the weekend ( often 10pm so too late for the kids).
Best tip is to get the kids to choose how much of each food they want, and then expect them to finish it as they have chosen their own portion size.

It's hard if you work and have young children. I don't get home until 6.30 - they are basically ready for bed and stories at that point. So I'm resigned to eating alone (am single mum) for next few years during the week.

No games, no mobiles, no tv at the table. We talk, we sit ON OUR BOTTOMS until the meal is finished and talk to each other (ds is a major wriggler and prone to wandering off half way through). Space isn't an issue - we're lucky that we have a kitchen table and dining room.

When we do eat together (weekends usually) I try and make it fun - food they really like, stuff they've helped make, stuff they dug out of Grandpa's allotment etc. Sometimes (not often) we play dinner parties and dress up and sit at the dining table - they think that is hilarious. I want them to think of family meals as the time when the three of us spend time as a family and as something they remember fondly - as a child our family dinners used to take hours while we talked about the day.

We only manage to eat together as a family at weekends - otherwise I eat meals with the children or my partner depending on timings and work commitments. I would prefer it if we could all eat together more often but that will happen more as the children grow older.

We avoid toys and technology at the table - the youngest gets distracted and forgets to eat - it also causes arguments.

Mostly we eat at the breakfast bar in the kitchen - it is snug but closer to the action. At weekends or when we have friends over we tend to use the dinning room because there is more space and not all kids are used to balancing on bar stools!

The children have a lot of input into what meals we cook - they look through books and help with preparation - this has really increased their interest in mealtimes.

We eat every night all together unless dh away on business. In dining room, no tv or electronics, phones etc. As the children get older, the conversation is improving along with manners. It's a good chance to catch up with everyone. Occasionally around once a month dh and I have a takeaway on our own. On weekends we have lunch together, and always a roast with proper gravy( sorry ) ..on Sunday.

Our family eat together every day. We all sit around the dining room table. We may have a little music on in the background but no telephones, books or magazines or games consoles are allowed! We all really enjoy this time - particularly my 9 year old who can't wait to tell us about every single thing that's happened to her that day! Long may it continue!

We eat together for every meal at the weekends and occasionally during the week in the evening, if DH is home in time. The weekend meals are sacred - no DSi, no phone calls etc but on Saturday evening we occasionally have a takeaway in front of a family show like Strictly Come Dancing. I don't mind this as we all watch it together and discuss it amongst ourselves, its not every week, and we eat 6 meals together during the weekend and its only one of those.

Everything in moderation.

...........oh and during the week, DH and I always sit down and eat dinner together and talk to each other - no telly. I am stricter with him than with the DC sometimes.....

My husband works away in the week and DS eats at my sister's or a grandparent's 2 or 3 times a week, as I get home after tea. When we're together we are always talking about our day etc, so I don't see why dinner time has to be a specific time to do this. He is very socially interactive and one of two in his class that joins the year above for reading, writing and communication and not at all behind his peers. We do enjoy going out for family meals at the weekends or to celebrate family birthdays.

We often have dinner in front of the TV but DS is a good eater and communicator and having the TV on does not distract him from doing either. I would not however allow games or phones at dinner time.

We sometimes have a take-away on a Friday or Saturday night, but if we are doing this then either DS has had tea and in bed or would have a snack-type tea and would be allowed to join in our take-away. He is much more adventurous with food than most children his age and will try anything once. It is wonderful to take him out to restaurants as he loves his food and as he is getting older he is getting quite a taste for spicy and unusual food.

One of the reasons we don't eat at up at a table every day is due to space. We do have a large table that is used for big family occasions but it is used for plants/paperwork/washing (!) and the sofas have to be moved around so that the table can be used.

We always sit down and eat even if everyone has things to get on with such as homework or other activities. I do not allow any laptops or games to be played until after we have all eaten. This is good discipline so that the kids can talk about their day and also help with the food.

We like to eat together but work does get in the way. DH generally isn't home until 6.30/6.45 and the DCs (2y7m and 10 months) wouldn't be able to stay up till them so during the week they get fed separately and then DH and I eat later. I hope that as they get older we can keep them awake for longer so we can eat together more.

We do have a large dining table so plenty of space although it has to be in our sitting room because there's not enough space in the kitchen (I would LOVE to be able to have the dining table in the kitchen).

I don't like technology at the dinner table, especially if DH is there as well. I'm not too fussed about sometimes having the TV on, particularly if the children aren't well or are overtired. We don't really do takeaway very often (mostly due to cost - I can make most things from scratch quite easily) but occasionally treat ourselves to fish and chips.

We do have a room that could be a dining room although it's currently a study. As the DCs get older and rooms get moved around I hope to have it as a dining room.

DD helps me cook and get the table ready etc. DS doesn't yet but only because he's too young.

Sadly I live alone & don't have my family living close by but when I lived with my parents we always sat at the table together for family meals & chatted about our day & I really miss being able to do that. Whenever I can visit them it's always lovely to sit round the table together again & it's extra special as we have so much to catch up on. I think it's quite sad if a family just sits in front of the tv with their meal on their knee as lots of families seem to have lost their family time, is it any wonder that some parents have no idea what their kids are up to when they don't sit down & talk as a family

We live in a small flat with no dining area unfortunately, but do make the effort to have one meal a day together without any distractions. We put a rug on the floor and have a picnic breakfast/lunch or dinner and talk about the day to come or the day we've just had. Our daughter is only 2 but this conversation really helps consolidate what was good about the day (sharing etc) and what wasn't so good (tantrums, all of us losing our tempers etc).

Conversation over picnic breakfast often consists of what we dreamt about in the night. Apparently a dragon came to visit daughter in bed last night!

Do you get the whole family together for an evening meal? Do work, travel or other commitments get in the way? Do you want to have a family meal in the evening or would you rather eat later when children are in bed? How has this changed as your family has got older - or how do you envisage it changing? Does it get easier or harder to eat together as children get older? Not possible during the week, but we try and have meal together on a Saturday or a Sunday. If not on both days. The kids love it and ask if we can have a family meal.

What about technology at the table - do you allow TV on, mobiles or games consoles at mealtimes? Do you have rules or go with the flow?

No, technology. Conversation is encouraged!

What about space? Is that an issue for you and your family?

No. We're lucky, we have space.

If you manage to get your family eating together in the evening, please share any top tips you have for other parents about how you manage to make it work.

I try and get the kids involved in the preparation. I find they eat better if they've made the salad dressing, or stirred a sauce.

Do you get the whole family together for an evening meal? Do work, travel or other commitments get in the way? Do you want to have a family meal in the evening or would you rather eat later when children are in bed? How has this changed as your family has got older - or how do you envisage it changing? Does it get easier or harder to eat together as children get older?

We moved house last year. Our old house had a through lounge and dining room whereas our new place has two seperate rooms and since the move, I think there's only been 2 or 3 occasions when we've not all sat together to eat our evening meal. My DH and I both work (albeit my own hours during 0930 - 1430) but DH knows that dinner will be served at 1830 and he quite often strolls in from work five minutes earlier, kicks his shoes off, flings his tie over the bannister and sits down with a few minutes to spare I've had no issue whatsoever with my DS joining us for tea. When he was very young, he'd maybe have an early tea but still sit with us and have say a banana or piece of toast until he was of the age when he'd be tucking into a balti or lasagne along with us. Since he started school, he's eaten his tea with us at the table and especially since the move, now there's less distraction, he eats splendidly

What about technology at the table - do you allow TV on, mobiles or games consoles at mealtimes? Do you have rules or go with the flow?

Telly has never been allowed on at teatime.
What's the point of all sitting together like that to then just gawp at the telly. What's half an hour? Granted I love Coach Trip and the like, but that's why we have things like Channel 4+1! We listen to the radio in the dining room - it's just us and Simon Mayo most nights. Mobiles and ipods are forbidden. The phone doesn't get answered. It's the one time when everybody is in the here and now and it's a chance to exchange news and tales of the day. My family are still lucky enough to be at the stage when we all still like each other so it's actually quite enjoyable to sit and chat like that.

What about space? Is that an issue for you and your family?

Space isn't really an issue since we moved. The dining table isn't a dumping ground - you'll only find the placemats and a peace lily sat on it on a day to day basis so there's no reason for it not to be used on a day to day basis. The dining room is also the music room/study area. We keep all our vinyls and instruments in here as well as our bookcases. It's a lovely space to be in which I think adds to the appeal.

If you manage to get your family eating together in the evening, please share any top tips you have for other parents about how you manage to make it work.

I think if you've decided that this is what you want to do, stick to your guns and make it happen. If you know your OH isn't going to be in til gone 6, give the kids a little snakc when they get in from school. I've also found that my DS eats more if he's seen me serving up at the table. Granted, this isn't always possible but if you're doing a one-pot-wonder, well there's no reason not to. Also, plan your meals. I'm not one of these women who can tell you what we're going to be having to eat a week on Monday, but I've usually pencilled in tomorrows meal by the time tonight's is in the oven. Also, if you're not used to sitting down together regularly, check you and your OH are singing from the same song sheet. Are you happy to let everyone leave the table as soon as they've finished or do you wait til everybody's finished? There's no point you telling the children they must wait at the table til everyone's finished for you OH to get up, leave his plate on the table, and go and flick telly on whilst the DC keep choffing on. And try and make it interesting and fun, especially if the DC are reluctant. Ask them questions about their day, tell them about yours, make plans for the weekend etc etc. You and your OH can talk about the ginormous phone bill once the kids are in bed. Make teatime chat about family things.

And finally, just try it, even if only for a couple of days a week. It shouldn't be that hard or difficult. Change is a good thing

we try to eat togethr as a family. on the weekend dh and i eat after the kids have gone to bed (so we can enjoy our meal more!)i don't see this changing in the future as it is important to both dh and i.

we don't have tv in the dining room. dh and i eat in front of tv on weekends.

we have a small table, but it is big enough for us. we need to buy some more chairs though as we only have 3 and ds2 is starting to want to sit on a dining chair.

top tip: get everyone to help
dh makes drinks
ds1 lays table

take out dc food a few minutes before yours and cut open to cool down

make sure that there is something on the dc plates that they will eat

My family dinner times are always fun times. We eat our dinner together and we don’t watch tele or answer mobile calls during dinner times. Dinner time just gets so enjoyable that we forget these modern day gadgets and completely engage ourself in family conversation.
I would like to share my secret with the readers - I let my girls do some cooking and involve my husband in the process as well. Therefore at the table are are so eager to sit together and relish the new dish we might have made on that day. Well, it could be a simple colourful salad made out of vegetablse and fruits and this process develops healthy eating as well. My kids used to be really fussy when comes to having food, but now they are so merrily chatting and eating that they don’t even bother to tell me which vegetables or fruits they don’t like! I also do some simple food craving like making a shark out of a cucumber and flower with a tomato or a carrot, eating them gets so fun and interesting.

Ladies, introduce this routine and I bet your family with be one happy healthy family.

Get children to cook and they feel so much more involved and appreciate the food so much better. My daughter has been 'making' lasagne since she was four. I make the mince, white sauce, grate some cheese etc and put in all in little bowls and she layers it all up. She is so proud of herself and it is a real treat for all of us.

Do you get the whole family together for an evening meal?

We sit down together about 95% of the time. I eat all my meals with the children who are at home.

Do work, travel or other commitments get in the way?

The other 5% is when DH is late home from work.

Do you want to have a family meal in the evening or would you rather eat later when children are in bed?

This to me seems to be creating twice as much work

How has this changed as your family has got older - or how do you envisage it changing?

Possibly when DSs are older and have after school commitments it may change

Does it get easier or harder to eat together as children get older?

Don't know as DSs are 4,2, and 8mnths

What about technology at the table - do you allow TV on, mobiles or games consoles at mealtimes?

Nothing is allowed at the table - neither technology or toys

Do you have rules or go with the flow?

We try and encourage good table manners - appropriate use of cutlery in right hand, sitting nicely, eating nicely, asking politely, etc

What about space? Is that an issue for you and your family?

No we have a dedicated space for dining table with chairs, including two booster seats for LOs

If you manage to get your family eating together in the evening, please share any top tips you have for other parents about how you manage to make it work.

We are currently very lucky with only DH working and DS1 only just starting school but my plan is to eat together as often as we possibly can and to continue this until DSs leave home. If you think something is important then you will make it work. Eating together at the table is something DSs have always experienced and never question coming to sit at the table together. Whether this will change as DSs grow bigger who can say!

We don't eat breakfast all together. I work 3 days a week so on those days our ds's eat with the CM. On the other days, I eat breakfast with our ds's on 3 days and DH eats it with them 1 day (My day for a lie in!)

Weekend lunches are all eaten together unless one of the boys has a party.

Dinners are eaten together 4 days of the week. We prefer to eat later on weekends or have friends over for dinner, the other night DS1 has swimming which complicates things.

On my work days, we have something from the freezer that I've cooked in advance so I can have a healthy meal on the table within about 20 minutes of getting home. The boys help to lay the table

We don't allow toys at the table, and we have no TV's in the dining room. We're lucky to have a separat dining room, so no space issues that might limit us.

We eat together as a family in the evening - it's really important to us. My family always ate together at the table when I was growing up, so I guess it's just stuck with me.

DH and I both work while DS is at nursery so we don't get home till after 6pm. It was a challenge at the start to get something on the table in time without DS ending up in an overtired meltdown!

For us, the slow cooker and freezer are our friends. If we put something in the slow cooker before work we've got something ready when we get home and we always make a double portion so it can go in the freezer for a quick meal another time. We always meal plan too which makes it a lot easier.

We generally don't have any technology at the table and there is no tv in the kitchen (where our table is).

I'm not sure if it will get easier or harder as DS gets older. I don't remember it being difficult when I was growing up, so I hope it won't be difficult for us!

Do you get the whole family together for an evening meal?
I do feel mummyguilt about DS going to bed later, but we built our nighttime routine around a family evening meal so we do it, whatever the time constraints. it is the only time we may get to catch up with each other, even though it would be much easier for DS to eat at chilminders.....How has this changed as your family has got older - or how do you envisage it changing? Does it get easier or harder to eat together as children get older? It is getting easier, i hope DS appreciates it more as he gets older and i hope i have more time to prepare and enjoy meals when he is FT at school.

What about technology at the table - no toys at table is hard and fast rule, no reading at the table is one all of us are caught breaking but we do stick to it. it has been known for the TV to stay on until the end of the Sunday Disney film on 5 though...! (we used to leave the computer on in the corner of the room to play music through, but i found the temptation for someone to jump down and start surfing during mealtime was too much, we have the radio on nowadays

What about space? Is that an issue for you and your family? The living room is diner, playarea and office space so it does get crowded but at least half the table has to be cleared once a day for dinner so it's a good incentive

If you manage to get your family eating together in the evening, please share any top tips you have for other parents about how you manage to make it work - i insist!!!!!

I just want to be in with a chance of winning the £250. Still breast-feeding my first, so haven't really got any comments re what we do as a family!

Do you get the whole family together for an evening meal?
Mostly yes. At least, I sit down with the DC, and if DH is home, he eats with us too, but a lot of weekdays he isn't home early enough.

Do work, travel or other commitments get in the way? My DHs work commitments sometimes get in the way

Do you want to have a family meal in the evening or would you rather eat later when children are in bed? I like us all to eat together at about 6pm.

How has this changed as your family has got older - or how do you envisage it changing? I hope it won't change much

Does it get easier or harder to eat together as children get older?
My children are 4 and 1, so no experience yet!

What about technology at the table - do you allow TV on, mobiles or games consoles at mealtimes?
We eat at the table in the kitchen, so no TV in there, and no games at the table. Occassionally we might have the radio on, but that's usually a lunchtime thing.

Do you have rules or go with the flow?
A bit of both. I like good table manners, but we go with the flow too.

What about space? Is that an issue for you and your family?
It is a bit as we have turned the dining room into a playroom, but compensated by buying a table and chairs for the kitchen. I don't want it out all the time so have bought one that folds away, with folding chairs that are stored inside the folding table. It's perfect for our needs.

If you manage to get your family eating together in the evening, please share any top tips you have for other parents about how you manage to make it work.

We eat at 6pm rather than earlier. I plan ahead, so meals are ready when I need them, using a slow cooker or pre cooking and freezing things when necessary. I get the children involved in getting our evening meal ready - getting out the cutlery etc.

Do you get the whole family together for an evening meal?
I often eat around the table with my children. My husband doesn't during the week as he doesn't get home before 8pm.
Do you want to have a family meal in the evening or would you rather eat later when children are in bed?
I like eating the the children as we talk about the day they have had. Weekends are the nicest as we have more time and can all sit together.

How has this changed as your family has got older - or how do you envisage it changing? Does it get easier or harder to eat together as children get older?

My oldest two children are both out for dinner tonight. The childrens busy social life makes it harder!

What about technology at the table - do you allow TV on, mobiles or games consoles at mealtimes? Do you have rules or go with the flow?

Sometimes we have music on, very occaionally we put the iplayer on to keep Ds happy.
The only rules are to use cutlery (bit of a battle!) and stay at the table.

What about space? Is that an issue for you and your family?

We have a large table in out kitchen so space is not an issue.

If you manage to get your family eating together in the evening, please share any top tips you have for other parents about how you manage to make it work.

The kids are used to sitting at the table so for us it's normal.

We always eat as a family and always have done - even the the kids are now in their 20s

We all eat at the table together, me and 4 teenage boys. It helps us catch up on the day and is a good and informal way of making sure everyone is ok. I have found it to be the best way of encouraging fussy eaters, they definitely come on much better in a much less pressured and more natural way when dining like this. We have a rule about no technology, but will occasionally break it if there's an important football match on the TV. They all play rock, paper scissors to see who clears away and loads the dishwasher, their invention, and they never fall out about it!

We eat together most evenings. Sometimes it's great, sometimes it's stressful. The DSs are 5 and 1. I am hoping it will get easier.....

No technology at the table. No toys of any sort.

Space is fine. We have a table that when fully extended can sit 12 at a push. There's no room for anything else in the kitchen once the table is out though!!

Tips? Meal planning and keeping the compononts of the meal separate (eg bolognaise rather than lasagne so that the fussy one can just have plain pasta) so that there's still something for everyone without having to cook different dishes.

An automatic oven is a fantastic tool! The timer on mine has just died and I am feeling a bit lost without it.

Every night we sit down to eat together, but sundays are special. On sundays we have Bisto because, as my 3yr old; Lily says:" bisto is so yummy for my 'Orkshire puddings!

keep the conversation at mealtimes light,no heavy discussions.Instead go round each person at the dinner table and ask them about their day in turn.This makes each family member feel special and loved.
when preparing dinner put on some music and get the children involved in helping prepare the food.
why not have a picnic on the floor in the living room,a family candlelight,makes for a fun and unusual meal experience,just doing things different is fun.If the weather is nice have dinner in the garden.
try and get creative and serve lot's of different meals.The internet is a fantastic tool for affordable and lot's of easy to prepare,quick and healthy meal ideas.
i ask my children not to answer the phone or have any form of technology at the table,Rather than put it across to your children that technology is banned at the table ask them to please understand that this is special family time have always let my family know how important and wonderful it is that we eat together as a family ever since the children were little.Life is hectic in our house with work,childrens activities etc but we try our best to have a meal together each evening,or atleast a few times a week if everyone is exceptionaly busy.

We always eat together as a family - I think it is central to having good communication and socialising for us all. My children are only small (3.5y and 19m) so some nights it is nice or only practical to eat after they are in bed but I like to eat together.
I can see they may try to do different things or have clubs etc after school as they get older but it will still be the norm to eat together until they leave home.

No toys / games / books at the table. Table is for eating and talking. get down from the table if you won't eat it or want to mess about.

What about space? We have enough room - and would make it somehow if we didn't.

Any top tips to make it work? Not really... it is just the norm. This is how it is from first eating at ~6mo. It's not a chore it just is. And as much as possible we all eat the same thing.

Do you get the whole family together for an evening meal?
At the weekends.
Do work, travel or other commitments get in the way?
Yes, some of us are not there at mealtimes because of work or school times (one child in nursery and one at primary).
Do you want to have a family meal in the evening or would you rather eat later when children are in bed?
Children eat early. I sometimes eat a little with them and then have a snack after they've gone to bed
How has this changed as your family has got older - or how do you envisage it changing? Does it get easier or harder to eat together as children get older?
We used to eat lunch all together every day. Work/school times has made this less and less likely to happen.

What about technology at the table - do you allow TV on, mobiles or games consoles at mealtimes? Do you have rules or go with the flow?
We have a laptop on the dining table so one of the parents will often be on that as the kids eat. I intend to move the laptop to another room soon as it is having a detrimental effect on communication and behaviour in general.

What about space? Is that an issue for you and your family?
Not really. It's more to do with habits and the fact the kitchen/dining/living room is warmer than the rest of the house!

If you manage to get your family eating together in the evening, please share any top tips you have for other parents about how you manage to make it work.
Children are too young to wait up late to eat so I wouldnt consider it at the moment. when they are older I would aim to eat with them in the evenings. There would hopefully be rules about phones, laptops etc not being in use much as we don't allow reading, drawing etc while eating now.

Do you get the whole family together for an evening meal?

Yes, always. It can be hard to fit it in with the children's social lives/activities now they are older, but we manage most nights. If DH and I waited until they were in bed, we'd be eating at 10pm.

What about technology at the table - do you allow TV on, mobiles or games consoles at mealtimes?

Absolutely no tv or other electronic entertainment. No mobiles. No reading. We are very Draconian.

What about space? Is that an issue for you and your family?

No.

If you manage to get your family eating together in the evening, please share any top tips you have for other parents about how you manage to make it work.

My only tip would be not to make food an issue. If they don't eat, they won't starve. Don't offer alternatives, and don't offer snacks. Try to make the meal about the occasion rather than the food. Though I would like any tips on how to eat without someone starting a squabble about some minor thing.

My daughter is 3 and the days that I work she attends nursery and eats with her friends.

On the other days we eat as a family at a table.

The TV is turned off in the lounge so she can't hear it and get distracted. The table is always set when she eats and she often helps with part of the preperation (usually eating it at the same time!)

As we all eat the same she has a good awareness and enjoyment of several styles of cooking and it helps her dad and I to be healthy as well.

As she eats either with friends / staff or her family her table manners are good and for a treat we will go out to eat in a restaurant and she patient and knows how she should behave. She will also try food which are not familiar to her with ease. (unlike the family at the lovely Chinease restaurant we visited at the weekend whose kids and fish and chips and demanded ketchup - I cringed)

All in all we all benefit from eating together.

There's only me and my DS (3 months old) now, but even so I prefer to eat my own meals at the table.

Certainly when DS is older we will be eating together at the table as often as possible, depending on after school activities etc etc, but I would like to be relaxed about it (we shall see!).

As a child we used to mainly eat together at the table, there were 6 of us and I used to really enjoy it as sometimes it was the only chance I would get to chat with my older brothers.

I don't agree with phones etc at the table, and certainly not games consoles. I don't have a problem with the tv being on in the background, although in this house it's in a different room to the table so I don't see that as being an issue.

I think mealtimes are taken for granted now.

We all sit around the table for every meal during the week, no toys, TV, phones and talk or at least try to in between nagging the kids to keep thier mouths closed when chewing or to stop kicking each other under the table.

A few years ago we had a dog. He would lay on the floor next to the cupboards usually behind where I was sitting. He never moved from his place or begged for food so we were happy for him to be that close to the table.

For years we have told the kids, if you eat all of your dinner you may have something sweet afterwards. If you dont eat it all, then you dont have room for anything else. They were never forced to eat the plate full if they didnt want to but were always willing to try something 3 times before they told us if they didnt like it.

For 5 years we were so pleased with the kids and thier eating habits. They never complained and nearly always eat everything.

Halfway through the following year we had to put the dog down due to his health.

For at least 6 weeks afterwards I had been sweeping up food that the kids had been dropping under the chairs for the dog!. There was me thinking that they were eating their dinner and all of the vegetables and all his time they had been sneekily feeding the dog. I couldnt help but laugh when I twigged what was going on.

We never got another dog but I can confidently say that they ARE eating thier dinner now as it's not all over the floor,...although thinking about it....I really must check behind the radiator.

We're lucky in that we currently manage to eat together most nights. We usually have at least one meal all together each day, so if DP works a late shift we sit down to lunch together before he leaves. The DC are only small (3.5 and 6 months) but we've always sat down together to eat and I want that to be normal for them. It's not a strict thing - we try to keep it chilled out and aren't too fussy about manners and stuff, just so it's a nice thing for us all to do. It's a good feeling, especially when you've spent time cooking a decent meal, to sit round a table and enjoy it together.

We eat in the kitchen so there's no TV, but if it's left on and DS can hear it he sometimes tries to slide off his seat halfway through the meal so it tends to be switched off. There is a radio in the kitchen but DP likes it switched off at mealtimes. No rules about phones although that will doubtless change as they get older!

Space isn't a problem for us just now as we have room for a table in the kitchen, although I'm not sure if we'll be able to afford a house with space for dining with our next move. Which will make me really sad . Our main issue is that we tend to find ourselves seated round the table with a huge elaborate centrepiece of magazines, junk mail, toys, hats and gloves, phone chargers, pens, baby wipes, CDs and junk models. Once in a while one of us reaches breaking point and clears it but it's back within a day or two.

Tips are hard because every family is different. I think the usual stuff like being relaxed about it so it's not some huge event to sit down together, and getting everyone involved in serving/laying the table etc are good. For kids I really like putting food out in serving dishes and letting them help themselves, or making meals they get to "build" like fajitas or pancakes. The best way to teach I think is to set an example so chilling out, enjoying your food and talking round the table is all good stuff to do with them from an early age.

We eat all our meals together at the table. I work late 3 nights a week so on those nights, DH and DC eat together and I get my evening meal after I get home.

We never have toys/magazines/newspapers etc on the table at mealtimes. Our table is in the kitchen and there isn't a TV/radio in there so no other technology issues.

We don't have a lot of space but I really hate not eating at a table so I took out a couple of kitchen units to make room for the table. I also don't like to eat separately from the DC as I do feel it is family time and as we all eat the same food, we should eat it together. It helps encourage the DC to eat well.

I was brought up eating meals at a table so it's just habit for me. DH never had proper meals and never at a table (on knee in front of TV) so he took a bit of time to get used to it but now, he really feels the benefit and enjoys sitting with us all together (most of the time!)

I don't think I have any tips on how to get a family to eat an evening meal together - it's just what we've always done and hopefully will always do

I eat with the Dcs 5 days a week - Dh does not come home until after 7 which is too late to wait. We all eat together on a weekend though, even if its a treaty take away!
No gadgets or reading at the tabke, unless I am reading out a school newsletter which we can all then discuss.
We always use this time to swap news from the day - we are all at different schools so there is always something to talk about.
The Dcs all muck in to clear/set the table/fill up a jug of water etc, and everyone clears away their own things.
We are lucky to have a lovely dining room, so have room to sit and eat together.
For comfort and a slobby evening, we sometimes have a take away in the lounge on a Saturday night, and settle down to family TV (Harry Hill etc) Its a lazy luxury treat for us all. Rules are meant to be broken!

We have a small kitchen but have managed to fit a little table in there so we can all sit down to a proper meal.

Weekdays are hectic with dd at after-school activities and dh working overtime so we only manage two meals round the table, Tuesday and Thursday.

We have never allowed 'technology' at the table when we are all sitting together, but if it's an informal meal during the week we will eat in the living room watching tv. Dd and I have our Girls Night once a week when dh is out until very late, we curl up together on the couch with pizza and videos.

Weekends are another matter: Sunday is The Sunday Roast. While dh is out working on the cars or the garden, dd and I are in the kitchen dancing to music and preparing the food, and occasionally delivering the odd cup of tea to the 'worker' outside! Then it is Dinner Time and we all sit down round the big dishes of roast, veg and gravy. It's our time to all sit together and talk about the week, knowing that we won't be interrupted. We let the answerphone take any phone calls and we ignore our mobiles because Sunday Dinner is OUR time.

When my children were very small they tended to eat seperately and that was because they needed a lot of help and attention whilst they were eating.
As they got older my partner and I made an effort to ensure we ate at the table as a family as much as possible. Nowadays, we almost always eat at the table together. Sometimes we do have the television on but most of the time, the television is off, phones are on silent and we make it as enjoyable as possible.
My children know that it is the time for them to talk about their day or anything else that is on their mind. It is also a good opportunity for them to hear about our day and talk about any plans we have.
One way we encourage the girls to sit with us at the table is by giving them 100% attention and make the meal lighthearted and fun. We lay the meals out on the table and often have little pots of sauces or selection of accompaniments to encourage the girls to eat their food. I always feel that doing this makes them feel that they are having a choice over what they are eating.
Routine is the key to success. Once the children got used to eating together as a family, they stopped fighting it and soon learned to enjoy it and make the most of it.

No technology at the table, all meals eaten at the table.

Space not an issue, got one place spare in fact!

DH home too late to eat with the kids but I often do. Weekends we all eat together, kids can't leave the table unless we've all finished eating. Is a good time for us all to catch up.

We have a big map on the kitchen wall and its a great talking point for the kids and us when we are eating. Love it!

We eat together every night at the table in the kitchen - we didn't use to have the space for a kitchen table so since we got one a few years ago we prefer to eat at it. Before that it was TV dinners. We have dinner at whatever time both of us are available.

DC is only 5 months but already sits between us in a cradle type highchair for meals even though she isn't eating. We will be trying to continue this as she gets older as I think it is important for the family to come together at some point of the day.

Having said that up until DC came along I would be reading the paper while eating and my husband would be watching the TV. Now we are interacting with DC at the same time as eating so we talk more.

Hopefully as DC gets older she will still sit for meals together as we have got her used to it earlier. I plan to cook meals so that the three of us can all eat the same thing which also helps ensure everyone eats at the same time.





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We have always eaten together at the table for evening meal, however few or many there are of us. It has changed over the years, down to just me and 2 schoolage kids now, sometimes a stray child from the park. No tv, games or mobiles allowed, table manners reminded about often but it is now lovely to sit and chat together. I always wonder how the table gets so cluttered every day tho - once we had to eat around a giant killer whale model for a month! It was carnival time, I was building it, and it wouldn't fit anywhere else. At least guests found it interesting!
Whoever is in my home at mealtimes gets a seat at the table and it is much more sociable, less mess and everyone learns to behave properly.
Once in a while I take pizza slices and salad into the living room for a treat with a film and thats fun too, if hard on the sofa!

We eat at the table altogether 7 days a week, were lucky dh is home at a decent time so we can all sit together. dd usually lays the table while i put the food out, and dh makes the drinks.

We make a point of eating our evening meal around the table together every night.

We are lucky that we have the space for a large dining table and eight seats for myself, the wife, our 4 children and grandchild.

No TV, no mobiles, no game consoles, no books or newspapers, just time to eat and converse about the day we've had.

It's definately easier (in our case) as the kids get older because they aren't so fussy regarding what they will eat and don't get as tired and tearful, which makes it less stressful for all.

I must point out that this has been a fairly recent thing since I was made redundant from my 12 hour shifts job and it has benefited the kids greatly with regards to what they will eat and also their meal time (table) manners.

We eat when our ds is in bed (he's 1).

We eat at the table, a meal from scratch and discuss the days events.

I ban all consoles/mobile phones etc from the table and if the phone rings we just leave it. There isn't a television in our dining room, thankfully.

The key tip I have, is make a meal TIME, and stick to it and make a point of everyone being at the table ready to eat at that time, it'll help you (or dh) prepare the meal on time, and should start an evening routine where you can all sit down together.

PS: Use your Sunday leftovers to make pies for packed lunches in the week.

We always eat together as a family, at lunchtime I sit with the little two at the table and eat lunch, at tea time I wait until dp is home (around 5.30-6.00)

There is only one choice of meal dished up, take it or leave it, they never leave it If you clear most of your plateful you get an afters if we have any.

We don't have a tv in the dining room but sometimes do have a cd low in the background, no phones, games, toys etc at the table, it's never occurred to me before but it's just something we wouldn't do.

I enjoy our evening meals as we all catch up with eachother.

We are totally relaxed about eating and we eat at all different times and rarely around a table, most evenings at least two of us manage to eat togtether and I am insistant that there is no mobiles, comps etc but we do have the tv on. My super tip for family cooking is to have a slow cooker, if you can buy two, one really large one for whole chickens etc and another smaller one for other dishes, great healthy food that cooks it self and you can make use of cheaper cuts of meat, you can even make cake in them

we always eat our evening meals together. Currently due to space, not sat at a table, but as house move is imminent, it will then be around the table.

It used to be listening to the radio or a CD, but watching the TV has crept back in again. This will also change when we move.

No phones, games, books, papers, computers, toys etc., are ever allowed at mealtimes - without exception. They are not allowed to play with there food either.

Children are 12, 8 and 5 years, they have always been expected to behave correctly at mealtimes from weaning and as eldest DD is 25 years it seems to have worked.

No-one is expected to eat anything they hate, but they are expected to eat food that they are not that keen on. That applies to the adults too. They help with shopping, food prep, cooking, serving, loading the dishwasher etc., from an early age.

Try to serve the same meal to everyone, but about half the time have to make modifications for 1, 2 or 3 people (not always the children). That is more for the adults, as otherwise we would never have steak or onions or mushrooms.

My DH often doesn't get home from work until 7.00pm, so to make it work, DS age 5 has a sleep when he gets in from school. DD age 8 will occasionally have a sleep in the day, but that is more to do with their health issues than eating late. When DH is working away, we could eat earlier, but stay the same to accommodate the naps.

I grew up very rarely seeing my Dad as he worked very long hours including compulsory weekend overtime. My DH had a similar childhood, so it is important to us both to eat together as a family whenever we can.

My 12 year old will shortly be joining cadets so I know it will become more difficult on at least 2 evenings a week. We will just try our best on those nights and carry on as normal the rest of the week.

Do you get the whole family together for an evening meal? Do work, travel or other commitments get in the way? Do you want to have a family meal in the evening or would you rather eat later when children are in bed? How has this changed as your family has got older - or how do you envisage it changing? Does it get easier or harder to eat together as children get older?

I work late 3 evenings a week and DH works late 1 evening, so no, we don't all eat together every night. The evenings I work late I usually cook something for DH and the children in the morning, or get something out of the freezer (usually cottage pie or bolognese which I make and freeze in batches) so when DH gets in at 6pm he just has to heat something up. (The kids are 8 and 6) The evening he works late I usually give the DCs an earlier supper and make something for the two of us when he gets in, this gives us the chance to have something the children don't like - lemon risotto for example. As the children get older, perhaps we could eat together later.

What about technology at the table - do you allow TV on, mobiles or games consoles at mealtimes? Do you have rules or go with the flow?

No mobiles or DS, but often the tv is on, or we play music. In the morning we have the radio on - radio 4 or radio five live. No rules about it though, although the kids do not have phones yet! There is no tv in the dining room.

What about space? Is that an issue for you and your family?

Only 4 of us, so no.

top tips

Be relaxed about it. Can't imagine anything worse than rigid rules around food.

As the children get older I am involving them more in shopping and cooking.

Everything in moderation - this was my Grandma's motto (as she poured cream over the homemade bilberry pie )and it's what I tell the children - they come home with ridiculous messages they are given at school, eg that butter is "unhealthy" and low fat spread is "good for you".

We manage to eat together most nights (we're lucky that DH is home at the same time every day). I usually insist the television is turned off and the teens certainly aren't allowed to use their mobiles at the table (although I have caught them trying to read messages holding the phones under the table!). DS is not allowed to bring his PSP to the table either.

The younget two usually lay the table for me and get drinks ready. I'm still trying to train them all to put their plates in the dishwasher (or at least clear the table) after dinner because I get fed up with being left with all the clearing up.

We're lucky that we've got a big table for the 6 of us (plus room for any friends who end up staying for dinner), but when our eldest was small we didn't have a table so we used a pasting table with a cloth over and some dodgy chairs from the tip. I wanted us to sit together because it was something I'd always done as a child and I wanted the same for my children.

We sit down for dinner together unless there are activities in the evening which prevent it (we currently have one evening where both girls have activities, but one directly after the other, and on this evening we sit in two "shifts" of two so no-one eats alone).

We don't do meals in front of the TV, because it's often the one point in the day when we can all get together and talk. None of us tends to have our phones on us at dinner time, but it wouldn't be considered polite to check texts/answer calls etc. if we did. If the house phone rings, we leave it and check for messages after dinner. It's definitely and deliberately a low tech time for us - unless you count playing a CD quietly in the background. We even tend to eat by candlelight!

I do feel it's easier with older children - when they were younger, it was more of a struggle to find a time which suited everyone to eat. And I'm really lucky the OH gets home at 6, so it's not as though we're waiting until late in the evening for him. I suppose each family just needs to do what they can - if there's only one evening a week (or lunch) that you can manage as a family - grasp the opportunity. It's definitely worth it if you can!

Do you get the whole family together for an evening meal? Do work, travel or other commitments get in the way? Do you want to have a family meal in the evening or would you rather eat later when children are in bed? How has this changed as your family has got older - or how do you envisage it changing? Does it get easier or harder to eat together as children get older?

DH is often late getting home from work as he travels quite a long distnace but I make sure that I sit down with the DC's every night for a meal. They are 4 and 14 months and I think it's important that we set a good example regarding table manners from the beginning. Before DD was born, I did the same thing with just me and DS.

On weekends, we all eat together at the table in the kitchen, it helps us to reconnect and chat.

I guess as the children get older, dinner time might get a little later and DH will be able to join us more often. I'm looking forward to that.

What about technology at the table - do you allow TV on, mobiles or games consoles at mealtimes? Do you have rules or go with the flow?

We're lucky enough to have a table in the kitchen so there are no TVs or computers to distract us and I would never allow games consoles. It's me that's guilty of answering texts at mealtimes The children are too small to have thier own mobiles yet but I'd hope we'd be able to eat together without them when the time comes.

What about space? Is that an issue for you and your family?

We have a small house but are lucky that the kitchen is quite large in comparison - almost equal to the lounge - so we can easily fit a table in with room for our family.

If you manage to get your family eating together in the evening, please share any top tips you have for other parents about how you manage to make it work.

With little ones, I find countdowns work well - I tell DS when dinner will be 5 minutes, then 2, then 1 and then I call him so he knows it's coming and can get ready to change activity. If he's watching TV, then I'll switch it off when I want him to come through.

Making sure food is the right temperature helps too. If the food is too hot when DS sits down, he doesn't want to feed himself and will get bored and fudgety while I try to cool it down. Things go a lot smoother if he can sit down and tuck straight in. DS loves to serve himself too. If I put things out in dishes and let him pick out his own portions, he gets much more involved in the meal. And don't serve too much - big plates can seem really daunting and put children off

No technology at the table
EXCEPT mum checking work emails at breakfast....

Do you get the whole family together for an evening meal? Do work, travel or other commitments get in the way? Do you want to have a family meal in the evening or would you rather eat later when children are in bed? How has this changed as your family has got older - or how do you envisage it changing? Does it get easier or harder to eat together as children get older?

We usually all eat dinner together at table, sometimes teenage ds is absent due to college/ work/ social life other times he has 1 or 2 friends so often make a dinner which could stretch for extras.
We have dinner at 5pm latest, as the youngest dc start bath and bedtime at 6. I miss leisurely evenings cooking, chatting to dh and older ds with glass of wine and eating later. Now dinnertime is regimental and usually ends in a tantrum and mess.

What about technology at the table - do you allow TV on, mobiles or games consoles at mealtimes? Do you have rules or go with the flow?

The radio is sat on the table, but we switch it off once we're all sat, usually have ipod speaker playing. Try to persuade dh to switch off his phone but he usually takes calls and then I shout at him...

What about space? Is that an issue for you and your family?

We've squeezed dining table into kitchen as seperate dining room impossible with young dc. It's stupidly cramped and we can't extend table. When we have more than 1 guest we have to use computer chairs or even borrow from next door..all adds to the chaos.

If you manage to get your family eating together in the evening, please share any top tips you have for other parents about how you manage to make it work.

Make dinner an institution, pick a regular time and stick to it, make it understood a good reason has to be given for missing dinner. Anyone in house must sit at table and be sociable.

We always eat together in the evenings but not breakfast as it is all abit chaotic witheveryone getting ready and hubby works late so usually lies in

We dont allow technology at the table , we even have the tv turned off. We do however keep hubbys mobile close by due to work

We try and discuss what we all have done that day, what we would like to do at the weekends

We try as often as possible to bake with the kids so they can be proud of their creations and make them more aware of their food and how it is made

i eat en famille reluctantly THERE I AM OUT AND PROUD
I know this means that we therefore all have ASBOS and wear shoes with tracksuit bottoms on trips to Wetherspoons, but i simply cannot confine myself ot eating the stuff that the boys will.

SO we do at weekends.
i let them read at breakfast time.
friday tea in fron of the tv

all the boys are fit slim , clever and sociable.

so you dont HAVE to eat togther every day for it all to work

Before my husband left, the children would eat their dinner earlier, at about 4.30. A girl from the local sixth form picked them up from school and cooked for them. I’d arrive home at about 5.30 and I would then cook for my husband and myself. We would eat in the dining room at around 7pm, whilst the children watched tv in the living room. They would eat dessert with us every night.
When my husband left, we (my two children, then aged 10 and 7) suddenly seemed like a very small family. It seemed vital to me to keep going as a family, to keep family rituals and to re-bond as a smaller group. For the first few years, we ate together every school evening. I asked the girl caring for them to give them a small snack. I soon got into the habit of cooking one night for the meal the next day. I did this whilst they did their homework and chatted to me at the kitchen table. The kitchen became the hub of the home.
The children’s job was to set the dining table, ready for the meal. We didn’t watch tv in that room and they were too young for mobile phones or the internet, but that hour was for conversation, not for talking to friends who weren’t present.
Our routine changed when they became teenagers. They were happy to cook for themselves (and I was happy for them not to cook for me!) but three times a week we would eat together. Again no technology - even they could see that it stopped us having a conversation. Then on Friday and Saturday evenings we ate in the living room whilst watching tv. It was relaxing and casual and I didn't mind if they answered their phones, though they couldn't use their laptops whilst eating.
Now they are away at university and when they come home it's a mixture of meals at the table, the three of us together, talking about what they've been up to, and meals in front of the tv. They can use their laptops etc but don't tend to if our conversation is interesting enough!
I don’t think I’ve ever stated anything as a rule. They have good manners and wouldn’t just text if I was talking to them. We negotiate about television; they can watch DVDs in their rooms, but not live television, so we’ve always had to compromise. I think this is good for them and good for me, too.
We’ve been lucky in that we had a separate dining room and space to eat in the kitchen, too. But in the end it’s about respect, isn’t it? If someone’s cooked for you and you haven’t seen them all day, it’s respectful and good manners to talk to them for a while. It stands them in good stead with their wider family and friends, too. I’m always aware I’m bringing them up to be good partners and spouses, not just good children.

thats an essay!

During the week, we are lucky in that the whole family is available for dinner - we always aim at 6.00 p.m. We eat in the kitchen and sometimes have the portable on so we can play 'Eggheads' on BBC2. Other than that, we try to have a sit-down meal and talk. Weekend have to be more flexible as people are off doing their own thing

We always try to eat together if we can. If DH is running late I will eat with the DC's early - that can happen about once each week. We also have one very hectic day with swimming, dancing, drama and music lessons all on the same night so its like a military operation getting the DC's to the right place at the right time and we all end up eating seperately and usually different meals on that night. However, when we do eat together, one DC sets the table and one DC pours the drinks, we have a strict no toys or books rule at the table. We have no tv in the dining room so thats not an issue but we usually have background music or radio. DH makes a point of asking us all about the highlight of our day (or on a friday the highlight of the week)so we always have nice conversation around the table. The DC's help with the clearing up too. On a weekend (when we would usually have guests for lunch) we could play a word game or something before pudding - the DC's really look forward to that .

Sorry, withagoat, I'm on my own this weekend and just musing!

Do you get the whole family together for an evening meal? Do work, travel or other commitments get in the way? Do you want to have a family meal in the evening or would you rather eat later when children are in bed? How has this changed as your family has got older - or how do you envisage it changing? Does it get easier or harder to eat together as children get older?

We have always eaten all together as a family - sometimes it varies bcos with 2 teens and a younger child they dont always want to eat at the same time but most days we manage it albeit a little later nowadays to coincide with arrivals home.....I think as the children have gotten older its gotten harder as they are now capable of making 'snacks' and will try to dodge meals.

What about technology at the table - do you allow TV on, mobiles or games consoles at mealtimes? Do you have rules or go with the flow?

No no no ,all we do at the table is talk and eat telephones are banned and the tv is turned off.

What about space? Is that an issue for you and your family?

We have lived in several houses and even spent some time living in a mobile home throughout that time we have always managed to eat around a table(however small) and for us the dining table is as important as the Tv.

If you manage to get your family eating together in the evening, please share any top tips you have for other parents about how you manage to make it work.

Its just never been acceptable not to ....its habit and if friends are here at mealtimes they too join in.

Short story.

Sunday lunch,ds1 and 2 have fallen out unfortunately they sit next to each other .....ds2 who has v poor eyes and isnt a meat lover decides to feed his meat secretly to the dog whos sat under the table ......ds1 suddenly leaps up and with gravy dripping down his leg (hes wearing shorts) shouts at ds2 and calls him a perve!! turns out ds has been stroking his older brothers leg mistaking the hair for the dogs fur and then tried to feed the 'dog'......

During the week, my daughter has dinner at school (she is a day boarder) and my OH gets home very late. So the weekends are precious. My teenager all too often wants pasta but we tempt with roast potatoes. If she helps, she is keener and it's fun as a family. Daddy does the gravy and is known as The Gravy King. Child and we adults have often eaten separately - she gets hungry at 5pm and we don't like food until 8/9pm. But it is changing slowly - we are moving toward the same times...

No TV or phones generally - but we have been known to have a TV dinner. Rules are simple: good table manners, eat as many veggies as you can.

We are lucky to have lots of space and a dedicated dining room looking out into the garden. That said, we often end up at the kitchen table because it's cosy and warm.

I like getting my daughter involved. She is very arty so dressing the table gives her a sense of pride, as does fresh flowers and fancy cutlery.

no toys

something good, bad funny that we each had happen that day

sometimes the children make a menu, draw pictures and write out what we are eating, we then pretend we are in a cafe

dish up late this is a gd strategy as the children then eat up because they are hungry

We have a large kitchen so big table.
Dh and 3 DCs all have to sit at the table.
But I just cannot face mealtimes with someone moaning about the meal I have slaved over making.
Don't like it, too spicy, got 'bits' in, only want potato, is it supposed to be that colour, that's disgusting...whatever.
Am so stressed at mealtimes, I just cook it, serve it, then leave them to it!

We don't eat an evening meal together at the moment - the DC (4 and 1) need to eat about 4.30, DH is still at work then, plus I like a glass of wine with my dinner and if I start drinking at 4.30 it's a slippery slope . Plus DS1 is fussy and has multiple allergies. I'm hoping that when they're older this will come together.

We do have breakfast together, again they have lunch v early (11am) because of preschool run.

They do sit up at the table together for every meal, and definitely no TV or other distractions allowed, I do sit down with them and try to have a nice chat while stopping DS2 coating the walls

We have space for a dining table in the front room and that definitely helps, in our previous house we only had a little breakfast bar in the kitchen.

Also, actually I have found that uber-fussy DS1 eats much better when no adults are at the table, otherwise he plays up for the attention.

We always have a sit-down meal, telly off - relaxing and good for the digestion. It gets easier as kids get older if it's made normal from the start.

We eat at the table every night. As a stay at home mum i plan, shop and cook the meal from stratch. As i have to have gluten free meals cooking from stratch is easier so i know exactly what has gone into the meals. Normally aim for 6pm tea time, i start cooking about 5. No longer than an hour to prepare and cook unles its made in the slow cooker.

We have tv on - news time but nothing else, laptops all of and phone not really answered.
Kids have to set table - one of their chores.
We try to encourge chat from the kids. Always have pudding normally cake or rice pudding i have made earlier.
After clear up is done, normally by me!! Its time for bath and bedtime and making lunches for next day. From 4.30 till about 9pm is not the most relaxing part of the day for me!!!

We struggle to eat together during the week because of work. The three days when I work, DD (2.7) eats at nursery. when I'm not working I sit down and have something small with her, then eat 'properly' with my Dh once she is in bed. If we waited until Dh got home it would be far too late for DD. I would definitely expect this to change as she is older and can stay up later. At the weekend we do try and sit down together as a family for most meals.

We don't have a TV in the room, so no TV on, we would answer the phone if someone called but doesn't happen often and we'd normally tell them that we would call back later.

We don't have many rules, mainly that DD has to ask before getting down and needs to 'sit nicely'. She sometimes has toys at the table if we're going to be longer than normal e.g. if we have visitors or friends round for a leisurely meal.

Space not a problem, we have a fold-out table so it's easy to adjust for play/ sit-down dinner etc.

We 6 always eat dinner together with ages 24 , 21 , 13 and 11 ; always have except for a break when one or other away working or at Uni.
Now it's a bit of a toss up as to who should sit at each end of the dining table as we have bookcases all around and the carvers at either end : I prefer to sit in the middle .Even when my Mum was with us and disabled, she joined us for every Sunday dinner.Before our extension was built we spent the first summer in this house eating all possible meals in the garden : with four children and a baby since our Italian niece was staying here too.
Never had any electronic interuption to the meal times but plenty of panics to rush off to after-school activities or lifts to the station.Children help get the drinks, set the dishes etc.Clearing away is getting a bit straggly as they get more impatient or dive off to finish that vital bit of homework /MSN !!

The children lay the table, my eldest ds will make a salad sometimes. If we can't all eat together we at least sit at a table. When we're together we talk about our good and bad news for the day, my five yr old loves this. Sometimes the tv is on, sometimes a stray phone will find its way to the table and sometimes I seem to repeat the same old things, usually along the lines of "sit down" or "just try some" but that's our family!

In the week I eat at the kitchen table with the dc's, at weekend we either eat properly together in the dining room, or together in front of the tv. Has never occured to anyone to try and use an individual techno device, tho funnily enough we will all sometimes read at breakfast. I guess the first time one ds wants to, I will have to nip it in the bud! I love the idea of candlelight once a week, and when my dh was home at 7 ish the Chdn would have pudding while he ate his dinner, having alreadyneaten and gotten ready for bed, thus having some element of eating together but not over hungry dc's!

we manage to eat together as a family about twice a week when DH comes home from work early enough, we always turn the TV and computer off before we eat (sometimes I even unplug the house phone) just so we can have some quiet. The hardest part is persuading my 2 yr old boy he can't have his toy cars on the table during meals...so now he parks them safely in the 'garage' before he sits up at the table.

The 'garage' is actually our kitchen wooden wine rack.
When we have gravy with our roast the kids always have a 'gravy-spoon' and a hunk of bread-crust to mop up, just like I did when I was little.

We (my dh, I and 2 sons) eat together every evening.

We dont always eat the same things, but we always sit at the table and eat and chat.

No radio

No TV

No phone answering - what are answerphones for!!?

No laptop

No reading

Just a few minutes of the 4 of us together in the general madness of the day.

Do you get the whole family together for an evening meal? Yes at the moment its quite easy. We have the stepchildren twice a week and my son doesnt have any activites. When he starts school/beavers it may become more difficuly

What about technology at the table: Banned!

What about space? Is that an issue for you and your family? Yes there are 5 of us around a 4 seater. I sit on a fold up chair. When baby comes along it will get harder.

If you manage to get your family eating together in the evening, please share any top tips you have for other parents about how you manage to make it work.

Slow cooker! Its the only way we could get a decent meal on the table. Also on busy days nursery/school dinners means you can just serve beans on toast without guilt.

We eat together most days but sometimes DH arrives home from work after the meal has started (just before 6 p.m.) if the traffic is bad and I usually have to bf the youngest at the table or go off and feed him before the meal is completely finished! In a year or so it should be easier to actually start and finish a whole meal together! Before we had children we arrived home from work around 7 and had a meal around 8 but decided that we would leave work earlier so we can eat together - we are lucky that we are generally able to do that. As the children get older we will make meal times slightly later.

We don't allow technology at the table - apart from at breakfast time if we might be looking up the weather before we go out or skyping family abroad.

We eat together every night except Thursday as DS has football and DH and I eat together. We eat around the table, all technology is banned as is tv, though I do have a tv in the kitchen which I put on about 50% of the time when I am cooking.

We sometimes all clear the kitchen together but usually DH or I do this and then the other one of us gets DS to bed. We eat at around 6.30, I hate eating later.

Our DS is 10, he has tried everything we have ever given him. We have always given him what we have and never changed menus or had different mealtimes. He also eats out with us as we have no family near us. I work part time so am lucky enough to have time to cook.

We do sometimes have music on, space is not an issue for eating. We do not have a big house at all but we bought it solely as it has a kitchen diner.

As we all work different hours (my husband works shifts) our dinner time tends to vary between 6pm and 7pm.

We ALWAYS sit at the table as a family – no matter how tired we are. We allow the TV to be in on in the background, its usually the news, which means we can have good discussion about current affairs; very educational. We do not allow mobiles or games consoles at mealtimes as the focus is on eating and discussion.

On week nights we tend to have “quicker dinners” or “one-pot dinners”. Thinks such as chilli con carne, stew or jacket potatoes (the slow cooker is fab for this). However, at the weekends we make eating an event. Friday night is takeaway night and we take it in turns to choose. Saturday night is usually the main event. We tend to make 2/3 courses and spend the afternoon making the food for the meal. This helps us to bond as a family in the kitchen and encourages us to try new dishes. We nearly always have a roast dinner on a Sunday and again we try to try different vegetable side dishes.

The trick to a good family meal is for everybody to be involved from the outset including planning the meal, cooking and washing up. The more involved in the preparation of the meal the more “together” you feel as a family.

During the day me and my little one will eat together having the same or something similar then our evening meal we will all sit together when my husband gets home from work. Its great because we get to catch up on the says events etc and my little one seems to eat better this way as she can see us eating.

Cant say we have rules but we do always eat our meals together although our child is not realy old enough yet to be sat texting however i think i think that shouldnot be alowed whilst it is family time at evening meals but daytimes its definately more go with the flow.We dont realy struggle with space as we have an extra room which is a dining room/play room at the moment so its very handy for meal times.

My top tip is usualy to prepare food in advance if possible whilst my little one has a nap or i do quick easy meals during the week. Eating should definately be a social time atleast a few nights a week away from technology spending time together.

am i the onely person to say they hate fmaily meals?
great

this is like a goody two shoes threads
come on you bastards
live a little

I hate family meals too

i love you

Some of us actually like spending time with our families, withagoat

I love spending time with my girls and us as a family. Certain things happen in life to make you reliase every moment is precious and i wouldnt want to spend my time with anyone else, and that icludes my TV!

We try to eat the same meals as if I know I will it it, not full of crap and therefore good for them. Yes some nights we might not eat together but mainly we do, and tbh withagoat I think your missing out.

ouryve
ooh er!

I like spending time with my family

just not around the dinner table EVERY NIGHT

6pm is the cranky hour in this house, everyone tired and I can only take so much PLATE SCRAPING after a long hard day

withagoat, am so with you on this!

Hate mealtimes with a passion and just want to get them over with asap.
In fact, whilst they are --moaning about the meal--eating I am actually washing the pots at the same time to make it go quicker!

As the children have get older we eat together more. It tends to be later so that we are all together but, amazingly, whatever battles/stresses are going on in our lives, mealtimes tend to be a time of pleasant discussion about our day. The only rule I have is no arguing at the table! It is put on the plates and they arrive as it is put on the table and there are no electronic distractions. They can manage 20 minutes without facebook!
Sometimes, if I am lucky, they will even cook and it is usually pasta or sausages and mash With the obligatory bisto.

My children are quite small (4 and 2) and we both work shifts however on the days when we are together we try and all sit at the table together as I think it gives us time to chat about our day. It also means the children eat better and I think it promotes good manners........... as such if we go out for a meal with the kids we rarely have any problems as they know how to behave (most of the time!!)

I WANT our family to eat together but due to age of children and work it rarely happens. Twice a week i dont eat until much later due to work commitments and its unfair to make others wait.

At the dinner table there is no tv, no phone etc. Only talking allowed!

Eating around the table is a common thing in our family. Its the time to get together - when possible!!

The kids 'job' is to set the table. Which is always fun!

My Dh works later than me; my kids are older but can't wait until 8pm ish to eat, so we try and make time on sat nights, sunday dinner and sometimes a sat or sun brunch feast.
Sat night - everyone helps make the meal on a sat night, but we eat it altogether in front of a movie - tends to be homemade pizza, or fajitas - informal food but cooked from scratch with everyone helping.

Sunday dinner - always a roast, but we have a silly tradition where one family member chooses the soundtrack for the meal and creates it on Spotify. So we all get a chance to listen to each other's choices. The compiler is encouraged to include some requests from other family members. It is suitably random, with the Muppets rubbing shoulders with Black Sabbath, and Tchaikovsky rubbing shoulders with, er , Elbow

Is good for encouraging debate and discussion too.

Do you get the whole family together for an evening meal? Do work, travel or other commitments get in the way? Do you want to have a family meal in the evening or would you rather eat later when children are in bed? Try to have family meal, although it is often more relaxing if me and husband eat after the children are in bed, as they are only 3 and 5 yrs. Also husband is not always home from work in time to eat with girls. Probably eat a family meal together 4-5 nights a week. Fridays I always eat later with husband, so we can enjoy a meal and glass of wine in peace!

What about technology at the table - do you allow TV on, mobiles or games consoles at mealtimes? Do you have rules or go with the flow? The rule is no TV/consoles, although if the girls are mid way thru watching a programme I leave the TV on till the end of whatever they are watching.

What about space? Space is fine

During the week the kids eat together and the adults eat later as dh is not home when the kids eat.

At weekends we make the kitchen(diner) into a restaurant. We put on a fabric tablecloth, placemats, light a candleabra and put napkins out. One of the kids act as a waiter(or waitress) and we put on Classic FM to make it sound like a real restaurant. Before we eat, we hold hands and somebody says a few words like what they enjoyed doing today) and the we tuck in.

We never have technology at the table apart from the odd photo of us eating and the radio which is fine.

Space is not an issue as the kitchen/diner is the biggest room in the house. As a family we love cooking and food and the kitchen diner was a major reason why we chose our house.

We always eat our evening meal together. Luckily my OH and I work flexi time so we finish relatively early. My daughter has activities several evenings a week and we make sure meals on those days are quicker as we plan the weeks meals in advance (also makes shopping a lot easier).
We make sure we sit down to eat at the dining room table - no television or mobile phones. Its a great way to talk about each others days and any problems. My daughter sets the table, my OH cooks and I wash up so its a job we all contribute to.
My daughter sits her GCSEs this year and is feeling the pressure - I think she appreciates the time we have together as a family and this is the most important part of the day to me.

We try and have as many lunches and dinner together as possible. For dinner that means we eat at aroun 5.30-6pm so we can fit it in between DH getting back from work and before the bedtime routine. When it was just me and DH we ate much later, but it doesn't bother me now - we don't usually have any dessert after dinner, but sometimes we'll have one together in the evening instead!

We try not eat in front of the television too much, mostly because of the mess involved in letting toddlers loose with food on wobbly surfaces, and multiple plates to move food around between. Especially soup. Do Not attempt to eat soup on the sofa with a toddler. Plus all other types of unmentioned toddler chaos.

So generally sit at the table in the kitchen, with radio 1 on. Everyone does a little bum wiggle when a song they like comes on - probably explains DDs taste for dance music, slows the meal down a bit but much more entertaining than any of the pants family programming at that time of day.

Tech gets banned as and when it gets irritating. I can't be too harsh since I have been known to get MN out while waiting for DD to finish her meals torturously slowly. But generally try to avoid television and eating because once you are already doing too things talking to each other generally gets left out of the multitasking balancing act. Good sometimes when you just want to veg! But makes meals a bit utilitarian most of the time.

Space is an issue. We've just moved house and had to pack up our old table and send it to my parents because we couldn't open the fridge with it in the new kitchen and get a much smaller table. I really like having families round for chaotically large but casual dinners and I think we will end up moving from here quickly because I miss that already after 2 weeks.

Whoever is home first gets dinner on. Makes life miles easier.

We eat together as a family whenever possible, the children are involved in helping set the table and putting their drinks out.
The T V is switched off and no DS's allowed, I have there full attention for conversation

I think its mostly important to make sure you make time to eat together. We always use our dining table, not just for main meal times for but for breakfast as well.

Theres always a job for someone to do in preperation for the meals too, which I think is just as important. I cook and serve, daughter arranges the drinks and son helps set the cutlery. It doesnt make it a rush, but a routine they enjoy. (especially when the smell of roast is drifting through the house.) Dad ALWAYS has his chair too, which is a bit of fun when he is not at home as we all want it!

I think the worst thing that can happen, worse than the TV being on is someone calling mid meal time. Best to ignor it and call them back later.

There are 4 of us in our family and we always eat meals together at the table. The TV tends to be on at breakfast time but not for dinner or tea. Mealtimes are important and a chance to find out about each others day. My youngest son learnt how to use a knife and fork much quicker than his cousin who is 6 weeks younger as he was at the table with us at mealtimes whereas my sister's family tend to eat in the lounge in front of the TV.
My children take turns to set the table and they don't leave the table until everyone has finished eating.

We try to eat together as much as possible, however in practise this doesn't always happen, due to clubs, working late etc.
At least once a week we have Family Night, when we make sure that everyone is there, and we have a special meal together around the table.

We have a dining table, but it's often pressed into use for other things.

We try to eat together as often as possible, hopefully at least 5 days a week. Sometimes we manage it.

No technology allowed at the table - even if the mobile phone rings, tough.

Try to get everyone to talk - chatting seems a dying art these days, especially for youngsters.

On weekdays we don't eat dinner together. The kids have a school lunch so just have sandwiches or a light snack at tea-time and I eat later. At weekends, we always eat dinner at the table together. I think it's very important to do this, partly because it's a good time to talk together but also because it's vital for teaching them good table manners. We don't have a TV in the dining room and toys and games consoles are definitely banned from the table. I do relax that if we're eating out in a restaurant and I'll let them take a puzzle book or colouring book to occupy them until the food arrives (though once the food is on the table, the book has to go away).

I'm fairly strict about manners at the table, eg using a knife and fork properly, sitting properly, etc. No-one is allowed to start eating until we are all sitting down and they have to wait until everyone has finished before they leave the table. They must ask permission to leave the table too.

At the moment the kids are 7 and 8 so it's easy to get everyone together but I can see it getting more difficult when they're teenagers and old enough to go out on their own without me. I still plan to continue, though.

We try to eat together 3-4 times a week. I am a house husband so I'm lucky in that I am around to prepare the evening meal. We have a lot of roast dinners because it's a good balanced meal, relatively inexpensive, and we all like it.

We sit up to the table and turn the TV off. A nice way to bring the family together.

We eat together every evening unless we are having people over after bedtime (dd5, ds2) we have done this since they were old enough to wait for us all to be home to eat. I have such happy memories of growing up eating and laughing together as a family, it is wonderful to be able to share that with my own family now. Phones stay unanswered, toys are banished, manners must be observed if you want 'afters' and for 20 minutes or so despite the constant fetching of drinks, wet wipes, salad cream (did I forget again?), dry wipes and fresh cutlery it feels good, like we are really doing this whole 'family' thing.
Keeping your plates spinning-
Dont kick your brother dear, and how was school today?
Please dont eat your peas like that, your t-shirt's not a tray
What happened to your other spoon? How did it get there?
Shall I fetch another drink, there's ketchup in your hair
I'm glad you liked the singing love but now is not the time
Well just the first verse then maybe, no, those chips are mine
Your sister has the giggles but that doesn't mean that you
Can stop and make a snorting noise, yes I like Barbie too
I do love having tea with you, impossible to beat it
But give me just a moments peace, a chance to breathe and eat it

Well done mattytun will u buy me a flake easter egg?
please

We try and all sit down together round a table for dinner with no tv or radio on as a distraction. I find our daughter is more likely to sit and eat nicely if she eats at the same time as us and can see us eating the same as she has