Do you watch tv while eating dinner?

[AngryBird6122]

We do.
Our table is in our living room and we can see the tv from the table(it's quite a big room) although I tend to eat on my lap on the sofa (dc have to sit at table)
eg yesterday we all watched Wednesday - probably not the ideal dining company as it was a gruesome episode!

Spot on @warmapplepies. Please accept the explanation graciously @Grammarninja. Your original statement that, ‘children who eat at a table instead of watching tv’, is a direct causation of their having strong vocabulary and reasoning skills, is moot.

What you really meant was ‘children who have interested parents who model decent conversational skills’ result in said children. They could eat every meal in front of the tv, and this would still be true.

Thanks @Myrtletown - was beginning to think I'd lost the plot for a second!

We never ate at the table unless it was something messy - always on the sofa on trays. We still talked - constantly!

Same here. We eat every meal on the sofa - and my daughter has an English scholarship (at a state school)!!!

I think it's just a weird kind of snobbery that eating at the table is somehow "better" than sitting on the sofa. Maybe it's one of those weird middle class insecurities

No, never, maybe some music. When growing up meals were sitting at the table and chatting and even though times may differ with my own family I don't feel the need for distraction. The hot food steams up my glasses as well lol 😆

Now we’re old its always at the table, but we have a tablet and occasionally watch stuff on there, like news etc.

Definitely. As this thread shows people think it’s a weird flex

With our busy lives of parents working, wrap-around care, etc., can you explain to me when these family conversations take place?
My initial point was that the dinner table is more than just a place to eat, it's a hub for conversation that leads to a great wealth of learning for children.
I'm not saying that children who don't sit down at a table to dine won't be good communicators, I'm saying that children who do, seem to benefit greatly from it. I'm not sure why you're so determined to disregard this.

@Grammarninja can you genuinely not conceive of a world where people are having conversations with their children away from a dinner table? Stop doubling down on a point you’ve been proven incorrect on. It’s not a good look!

Oh, I don't know - on walks, on the way to and from activities, at the supermarket, in the car, while watching TV, at bathtime, before breakfast, on the school run, at weekends, on family days out, while walking the dog or in a whole number of other scenarios.

If the only time a family has to talk is for 15 minutes over dinner then there's something very, very wrong IMO.

And again, the dinner table is only a "hub of conversation" if the parents turn it into one. It's not the table that makes the difference, it's the humans 😏

It's weird isn't it?

Some of the best conversations with my parents were in the car, or out on walks. or going round the supermarket. At the dinner table, they mostly complained about work or listened to Radio 4, lol.

No. We use the time to catch up as a family. We sit at the table.

Conversations happen all the time but they're usually one-on-one. The table provides a different atmosphere. I know you know there's a difference but you are free to force your opinion through even if you don't fully back it. I assume you meet friends in restaurants? There's a reason that people engage socially over a meal. Don't tell me that when you meet friends at a restaurant, you are there only for the food. You are there for the conversation as well as the food and you know that.

We usually eat at the table in kitchen/diner and there’s no TV there. If I’m alone I might watch something on my phone while I eat at the table.
We occasionally eat on laps in lounge with TV on, e.g. with a takeaway. DH sometimes eats breakfast on lap while watching DD if I’m elsewhere.

You really need to stop doubling down. It's quite embarrassing to read.

I know you intend to offend with that remark and somehow make nonsense of my point having said nothing to contradict it. A dinner table growing up might have taught you to defend your argument with reason and facts. I'm open to listen to both.

What? This is now getting nonsensical. Give it a rest

Have you now pivoted to requesting that we argue that conversations around a dining table are NOT beneficial? Why would anyone suggest that?

We just pointed out to you that you were confusing correlation with causation - and that families are different and can have enriching conversations in many different places and at many different times. So your original statement that, in your experience as a teacher, ALL the children you ever came across that had good reasoning skills and an impressive vocabulary, ate dinner around a table, is at best anecdotal and at worst….well rubbish.

You’ve now resulted to snide remarks (that I clearly didn’t have dinner around a table) which I won’t engage with. I have been both factual and reasonable.

My only point, originally, was that children who sit down to dinner often exhibit more advanced language and reasoning skills. I noticed this to such a degree that I chose to make this a thing in my own household.
I understand that great conversations can occur anywhere. It's not like we only spout rubbish from our mouths outside of the dinner table situation. Having said that, you won't find many important conversations taking place outside of a sit down environment. Tables were made for this very thing.

With the first point - that’s anecdotal not a fact. And then even if it were a fact then we’re back at the correlation / causation point.

With the second point, I’m sorry if you’ve found it hard to have important conversations at any other time than dinner. I remember reading an article on how to improve conversations with your children recently, give me 10 mins and I’ll look it up for you and post.

That would be great. I love to learn. I know you're not a fan of 'snide' remarks so could you define what one is for me please? Just so we're on the same page.

Ok, let’s leave it there then. I won’t post the article, just thought it might help but clearly you’re not in the mood

I genuinely would love to read the article. I know there are many ways of supporting a child's learning and I'm interested in all of them. I'm really not trying to irritate you. Please do send it on.

Yes there is a compulsory day of lectures dedicated to the appropriate use of pet names and phrases and those that should be avoided.

I read an article that suggested having difficult conversations in the car - omg my kids hated that - they rumbled me right away - felt trapped and resented me cornering them. So we went back to singing in the car and haveing chats at the dinner table on their request 😂 All kids are different and family cultures are different best to try things out see how they go. But respect the emotions - forcing these things doesn’t result in the best outcomes.