If you have teens, what time do you all eat dinner/ supper?

[LesFlamandes]

We have (lovely!) friends staying with their three teen boys at the moment. Comparing notes, she likes to have everyone fed and the kitchen cleared by 6pm. I know her boys often head out to activities after that or do later homework. I’m very impressed by her organisational skills, but we never eat before 7-8pm (DH home at 7.45 3 nights a week so then it’s 8.) We tend to cook from scratch, and there is ‘gouter’ for hungry teens when they get in from school (both my own and any randoms that turn up.) DC13 and 15 have generally done after school clubs/ sports/ music practice/ homework/ tutoring by supper time and we love to just flop and relax with TV, games or hobbies (expect one evening when DD and I go to choir practice at 8.)

I’m just being nosey and wondering what other people do to manage the dinner time juggle.

Why is it bad for you?

Between 8-9pm. Always someone training in our house.

About 7.30-8. Not hungry before

Eating early is wrong. See eg healthy slender late eating Spain Vs early dining dumpling-bummed England.

Google it. There's loads of reasons.

We always, from when DD was a baby, had family dinner at 6.30pm. Over the years it moved to 7.30-8pm apart from the day DD is at the Explorers and has to leave at 7.15pm. On other days she isn't home before 7pm (Beaver volunteer and theatre group).

DH and I both work. He hardly finishes before 6pm due to conference calls with the US. I work hyprid, if I am commuting I am not home before 6.30 and refuse to cook as soon as I come through the door. I love cooking and do 90% of the dishes.

We prefer to have our "time off" before dinner, it's the way DH and I grew up.

Your body doesn’t know what time it is

7-7.30 winter, more like 8 in the summer

I hate eating before 7.30 earliest. Grew up with a 7.30-8pm (or later) dinner time. My DH hates eating after 7.30, latest. The kids are usually out at various activities anytime between 5pm and 9pm. So usually they eat a substantial snack after school then we have dinner after 8.30 most nights but my DH suits himself.

Some people (like my DH, and other posters) find it uncomfortable/unhealthy for them to eat ‘late’. But there’s no fast evidence that eating ‘late’ is terrible for everyone. I’m sure a lot of it is driven by the idea that if you ‘close the kitchen’ or start your evening ‘fast’ by a certain time then you’re not snacking when willpower is often lowest. For me personally, an early dinner increases my tendency to snack so I’m better off with eating a meal later.

People being super rigid about food ‘rules’ is one of my personal pet peeves.

Difficult to eat between 5-6 as we’re still at work and DT’s would still be at after school sports

DD's fiance finds it hard yakka how late we eat - he often makes himself a sandwich or some eggs to tide him over, poor boy! Then again, he's got hollow legs, so he's always up for a feed. . .

When he's here I do try to have tea a little bit earlier, though.

8ish, later on holiday. Kids are 13. I can't imagine eating dinner at 6 when lunch is at 2.

Usually eat around 6:30, sometimes earlier sometimes later. And yes, would book a table for 6:30 when going out too.

Tmi frankly

Around 8

We eat about 8
So glad the days of tea at 5 are gone👍

I'm a dietitian just wondering 9

I’ve just finished my dinner and it’s nearly 11.30pm.

Teenagers ate after they got in at around 9.30pm because they made some kind of chicken thing in the oven and didn’t get home until after 8.30pm.

Partner working nights.

Dinner between 7-9.30 usually but we can regularly be at work at 8pm, 10pm, 2am. And we all do evening activities that cannot be done after eating (running, rowing, dance, tennis, swimming etc) Teenagers obviously have jobs and evening plans and can easily still be out doing their own thing at 9-11pm. They each have a night they have to cook dinner for everyone so we all get together.

We usually eat at around 7.30pm, three kids, 18,16 and 13. We can't eat earlier as everyone's not around.
It's a little late for me (in fact I don't cook after 8).

We eat at 6:30.

For many years I would make a dinner ( Monday through Thursday) that was fine to be reheated - so not fish or streak! Easy things like spag bol etc and then our boys would eat before or after their clubs/practices - so I would have all cooking done by 7 and dish up for 4 servings and we would all eat whenever it suits us and microwave our portion but the cooking and washing up would be done by 7.30/8 - it drives me mad to have it hanging around til 9.30 but it's what we need with our schedule right now

Have you never heard of circadian rhythm? Your body absolutely knows what time it is! How do you think society managed to work/hunt/ whatever during daylight hours and sleep at night before everyone had access to a watch?

Older teens. I do still cook for them mostly ( can’t help it it’s my heritage!) and we eat together, unless someone has a date or footy or something, around 8-9 pm.
They are a bit lazy about cooking but I make them clean up, and they are around often when I’m cooking, which is how I learned.
I go to bed between 11 and 1 depending and they go to bed in the small hours (in the holidays) and have supper at 2 am I think!

I used to work in theatre and regularly ate dinner at midnight! I was very slim and slept like a brick so I don’t think it’s bad for you.

Once past young childhood we had dinner about 7ish. Homework done before so after could just relax if we ate as early as 6 we would have been hungry again before bed!