Using mobiles when eating at the kitchen table,especially texting?

[JoySzasz]

It might be something that is more common where I live? Anyway I have banned my 12 year old from texting when he is at the kitchen table(eating with others) he doesn't make or receive calls normally.

I am surprised at the number of his friends and our family who think it is no problem.

Even at the Christmas or Thanksgiving meal[shocked]

Does it bother anyone else?

I actually think it is really peculiar,might just be me though?

Oh I have had to do the same with my DDs. I make them leave their mobile in another room when we are eating. They seem addicted to it.

I fully expect to be sitting at their dining table in 20 years time, with DDs, their DHs and my grandchildren all texting away. I will be wittering about how that wouldn't happen in my day and what is the world coming to.

I do hope I'm wrong.

YANBU. It's the equivalent of sitting down to a meal with someone and then reading the newspaper or a book. It says 'I'm not interested in you', and it's rude, plain and simple.

YANBU. I don't mind people looking at a text or answering a call during mealtimes if it's important, but actively making texts/calls themselves comes across as very rude to me.

A large group of my family went to my grandmother's house for Christmas day, during lunchtime my uncle was actively on his phone, texting and laughing while staring at it. Needless to say he got an angry and disappointed look from myself, and my grandmother had raised her voice to say that she felt he was being disrespectful.

So I don't think it's okay to do so.

DH has a certain ringtone for his job. If it rings he answers it. Other than that it isn't allowed at my house. If anyone doesn't like it then they are welcome to eat elsewhere.

We allow it (well, DH and I use our iPhones, son is only 2!) if it is just the immediate family, just like we allow reading. However, the rule is if someone speaks, everyone puts down what they reading/looking at and engages.

We never do it if we have guests or are out in public.

And I would never do this at someone else's home.

It;s bad manners to have a phone at the table. No excuse for it.

The whole 'my mobile is far more important than real live people' problem is escalating. It's amazing how you can be in deep conversation with someone when the phone goes off and it's like a dog-whistle! They stop mid sentence, surprised look on their face, and start fishing around in bags and pockets, totally ignoring you. Sometimes even holding up a hand like a traffic cop. Chuckling at private texts or chatting away and miming who it is on the other end... like you give a damn! We spend an age teaching our DCs not to interrupt when someone's talking, and then this happens. Manners... window... drop-kick

Not allowed in our house. It's rude and disrespectful.

I agree with you, think it is totally rude; hate being out with friends who keep looking at their mobiles.

Slightly off topic, but I noticed something a few years ago,

If you are deeply engrossed, in a conversation, activity or rest

then the phone rings

everything stops as the phone call takes precedance

why ?

YANBU, dh and I are sometimes (prostrate with shame emoticon) guilty of this, he says it's only if it's work, I say it's only if it's some childcare arrangement.

But it's very bad yanbu

Dh sometimes answers the call out phone while we're at the table and quite often it makes him irate. But in the current climate we can't afford to turn down or miss out on work

I hate it - I think while eating at a table, you should only answer calls that are really necessary for work or urgent family. No texting/emailing/surfing.

And I hate it when people are texting while you are talking to them generally

In our house phones at the table are banned, with no exceptions. If I've taken the time and trouble to cook a meal then the least you can do is extend me the courtesy of eating it without implying that the whoever is on the phone is much more important.

Even MIL got told on Christmas Day once. FGS very little in life is that important that it can't wait for half an hour.

It's rude and unnecessary to do so it's banned here to.