Do you and your family eat dinner around a table ?

[Nicebitofsquirrell]

Meal times have changed a lot in the last decade I think, parents are working longer hours, kids are doing more evening activities and the ides of eating around the table and talking about your day seems very foreign to a lot of children. It's not uncommon for primary age children to have never eaten at a table before and they've said they eat on a sofa with the telly on.

Do you and your family regularly eat around a table and discuss your day without a TV or radio on?

I used to really enjoy it when I was younger and when we stopped because of work patterns it made it much easier for me to hide my ED as no one was watching my food intake.

It's definitely something I want to bring to my family

The OP was saying ideally it would be everyone around the table eating together. I don't actually think I know anyone who does that every single evening or meal. And as said because of work, commutes, dinner times, socialising, dcs hobbies, adult hobbies, diets. I'm not sure why that's obtuse?

@OriGanOver very MNs then! 😂

@owiz actually I don't know that! I'm not sure why I should? Always to be would mean pretty much most of the time, not 50% of the time because we have other engagements.

to me not be

Always have evening meal round the dining table and usually have breakfast at the table at the weekend.

Yes every evening. We change times around to suit all four of us.

Always eat at table with radio on (normally 6 music). Us with DS8 and DS10. All eat at same time. Though every Friday is film night, when we have pizza , hot dogs or burgers on picnic rug in front room. Occasionally will have a carpet picnic at lunchtime in school hols (breaks the monotony up).

Right I'm sitting down with dc now whilst they eat just not eating myself. I assume the thread will go pretty quiet now 😆

Try to eat together as much as possible or if the kids have clubs or activities I will sit with whoever is eating and chat to them.
Every meal is eaten at the table but we have a large kitchen/diner/family room so it's a very social space.

I cook one dinner, and everyone who is in eats it together round the dining table in the dining room "family style". During the week that's all of us almost all the time.

At weekends the children, who are now older teens, quite often are out working or out socialising and so therefore will be eating separately If they will need a dinner (e.g. after work) we always plate them up a portion and fridge it - they will heat it up and eat it at the kitchen table when they get in.

Breakfasts and weekend lunches the teens make for themselves (they have school lunches during the week), and are eaten at the kitchen table whilst chatting with us. DH and I tend to have the same breakfasts and lunches if we're both in, and we'll sit together at the kitchen table to eat those.

So, in summary, we all eat at a table. Everyone who's in eats together in the dining room for dinner, breakfasts and lunches are eaten more casually at the kitchen table.

We do, we've got a lovely new hand made dining table too so it will be used!!

We eat around the dinner table as a family for breakfast, lunch (when we are all at home) and the evening meal apart from a Thursday when the eldest has ballet and the youngest can’t wait till 6.45 for his food it must be at 6 or he’s hangry.

We also eat at a dining table every night. We think it's important as it teaches children to converse.
I find the British culture of parents eating apart, and different meals from their kids sad. We come from a country where family meals are the norm and kids eat the same meals adults, I believe this prevents fussy eaters, excluding kids with texture issues etc. Some friends look on in amazement when my LO is eats crustaceans and strong cheeses etc

We try to most nights, but depends if DH is in the office or not. He usually goes in a couple of times a week, and doesn't get home until gone 6, so if I can occupy the kids long enough to not think of their stomachs, we'll wait for him and I'll have dinner on the table for when he walks in, but on particularly busy days where they have sports and swimming, they're usually ravenous when they get home, so I'll cook for them and me and DH will eat later in the evening. I think it's important for us as a family, it's a very special time of day in our house, and the kids seem to enjoy it when we're all round the table. My mum, sister, nieces and nephews will often descend on us for dinner at least once a week, and I love hosting for everyone around the table. We're quite relaxed with bedtimes etc, so later dinners occasionally don't bother us, unless the kids stomachs say otherwise! They have dinner at their grandparents once a week when I'm on my late shift, and they really look forward to that (and the copious amounts of sweet stuff on offer!)

We always did when dc lived at home, occasionally if DH worked late he would have his microwaved. Even now the two of us sit at the table to eat.

If it helps anyone feeling guilty reading this thread I ate every meal at the table with my parents and I can’t stand either of them now and have been low/no contact for a long time.

Always. DC are 10 and 8. They don't do anymore after school activities than I did as a child.

We do have a 'picnic' in the family room now and again as a wee treat whilst watching a film as a family. They do love it.

We do about 50/50 at the table vs on the sofa with trays. I grew up in quite a rigid household where all meals were eaten at the table and you couldn’t eat ANYTHING in the living room and I think I’ve rebelled against that a bit by wanting things to be a bit more casual.

We are lucky that one of us is usually able to pick DD up from school every day, so we have a good couple of hours to spend with her and chat before tea time.

Problem is you won't get a representative sample as people who don't do this won't post.

Not everyday because my husband works long hours but every meal we eat with the kids is at the dining room table

I'd say we do 4 nights a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday). Dd is often out Friday and Saturday night and rides on Wednesday so will often have a McDs on the way home.

We eat at the table together normally only on weekends. Kids have different schedules in the week as do dh and I and if it's just dd and I we normally curl up on the sofa together to eat as its comfier! We also eat out at least once a week all together and that's at a table!

Always yes.
Because that’s the only time when everyone is around and interacting.
Without it, I’d never see my teenagers. They’d be holed up in their bedroom.

Plus how do you manage to prepare a meal fur everyone if you are not eating together?

We eat together on the floor most nights, the exception is when my son has dance and we eat a quick tea when we get home from school.

We did as kids but food was usually served on a coffee table. The dining table at that point was in the kitchen. Then we moved house but no space for a dining table so back to eating around coffee table with TV on. After we had an extension it was back around the dining table.

We have all meals at the table. Ours are little so we usually eat at the same time as them. When I get in from work I usually eat after I've put my kids to bed so I will then eat in the living room with the TV on.