Screen time at restaurants

You're my hero!

I don't let my kids have a phone or tablet at the dinner table. I always take colouring books, games, playing cards etc. I hate to see kids on screens at dinner. It's a good opportunity to engage with them when life is so busy otherwise.

It's not lazy parenting and it's not crap, like all areas of parenting there is a middle ground between the extremes of "none" and "all".

At home, we have a no devices at the table rule and phones/tablet don't come into the dining room at mealtimes, never mind get as far as the table. We talk about our day, share news, and hang out. On holiday, I'm much more relaxed. We will have spent the entire day together as a family doing activities, chatting and enjoying each others company. By the time it gets to teatime we all need some downtime so we can recharge our social battery a little bit ready for evening activities. I honestly don't mind DC having their devices at the table when we're on holiday and my only rule at that point is that they wear headphones if they're watching a video. When we return home, it's back to bo phones at the table.

@EErrors Brace Brace 😄😄😄😃

Set an example by never having screens at the table at home when you all eat together and then it becomes normal to have conversation instead of opting out.

100% agree but you’re gonna be attacked for this 😂

Honestly, I'd quite happily judge and just tell her it's called 'lazy parenting', and it's generally parents who can't be bothered to teach their young child to chat and learn social skills.

Call a spade a spade.

And if anyone disagrees I really don't care. It's utter crap and very sad watching kids on holiday glued to a screen and missing out on everything around them. Including the experience of eating a meal away from home that's paid for.

I will probably get flamed for this - I think DS was a bit older when he first asked if he could watch something on my phone while we were out. I said absolutely not as it will rot your brain.
Probably not my finest parenting moment but it worked 😂

Whenever my DC have said "but so-and-so's mummy lets them..." I point out I'm not so-and-so's mummy, I'm your mummy and I say...

With any red lines for our family (whether about what the dcs did at the table or other things) we always said "Our family doesn't do that". And that was that - no discussion, our family does x other families do y - it's just how it is if you are a dc in family x and it happens to be different in family y.

Our first dc loved colouring and was so good to sit, no 2 broke all that and we didn't have any help I was also a full time mum so when we rarely went away I did like to eat in peace which meant tablet

Exactly this.

You don't need to make passive-aggressive comments about "we enjoy meals together" or "we talk to each other", no one is going to hand you brownie points for it (and just because those families are on their devices doesn't mean they don't also enjoy meals together or talking at other times). Just present it without judgement - that's their rules, these are ours.

Just tell her we don't have screens at the table. If she asks why other children in the restaurant are using screens, tell her that's their family rules and our family rules are that we talk to each other and enjoy meals together as a family.

This is parenting. If she's only 4 you've got a long way to go, right?
At every stage, there will always be other parents who allow things that you don't.

We've only just retired our "going out bags" even my Mum used to enjoy the little games and puzzles in it.

So say you don’t have yours with you and never take it out to a restaurant. Job done, no?

I say " just because everyone else is doing it doesn't mean you have to too"

The old if everyone jumped off a cliff ....

We never allowed this with autistic DD1 or NT DD2. We just had 'going out bags' with notepads, pencils, books, colouring books, etc. DD1 also had fidgets and ear defenders.

I've seen babies, less than 1, with phone propped up in front of them in restaurants.

I agree. We are luddites with technology so don't use screens in the car. I want to start a rule this year of no phones at the table for me and DH as we do occasionally use them.

You’ve clearly taken a stand against it for a reason, just tell her what that reason is in an age appropriate way.
’We’d rather play a game.’ ‘We’d prefer to colour in with you, it’s more fun.’
It’s not difficult enough that you would need to ask strangers what to tell your 4 year old 😂

Yanbu to want to keep your mealtimes screen free. We do too. However what other families do is up to them and its on you to say no to dd.

If any of them are listening without headphones you are welcome to go tip your drinks over their parents though

Don’t bring the tablet to dinner then you don’t have to explain….?

Not sure why you’d have it anyway at a restaurant if you’re so against their use at the table!