to think it is just not necessary to have a dining table anymore?

[LDNmummy]

Traditionally it has always been the look of a good home to have a dining table, preferably with its own area/ room in a house for family gatherings.

But, with modern life as it is, I just don't think it is necessary to have one anymore, unless of course you genuinely use it at least once a week. But do most families anymore?

I don't know many families who still go through the process of sitting around the dining table every weekend let alone every day, possibly for the fact that it is a little extra effort people are not as formal about anymore and sitting together doesn't have to be around a table but even just in the living room watching the telly together IYSWIM.

Plus, houses are not always big enough to accomodate a large family sized table and some may just feel it isnt worth the hassle to cram one in.

I also think this about the large cabinets that traditionally housed all a households fine dining wear that would come out on special occasions.

Aren't these bulky pieces of furniture that take up lots of space and are rarely used outdated now except with older people?

My MIL has a six seater table in the living room that could easily fit eight diners but is used properly about once a year. Half the reason for that is that it is too big and has to be crammed against a wall so isnt convenient to sit around daily or even weekly anyway. She also has a very large display cabinet full of her best dining wear wich is only used when special guests such as family travelling from abroad are visiting, which is rarely.

She is about 60 and in her eyes these two items of furniture are essential to beautify a home as well as for practical reasons, which IMO is questionable. My DM and all the older women in my family feel the same way.

But isnt this just all outdated and unecessary faff a house can do without in a time when people are no longer as formal when it comes to situations such as dining?

We eat at the table every day for at least 2 meals. Breakfast is usually eaten on the sofa but lunch and dinner are at the table

We didn't have a dining room table until we moved into this house, we have never lived anywhere big enough to accommodate a table and chairs in the kitchen/living space. We became very used to eating off our laps and still do so often now out of habit even though we have a table. I eat breakfast and lunch at the table with DD and will have a cuppa at the table whilst she has her evening meal. Normally by the time she has gone to bed, DH has got in from work and our dinner is ready, I just want to sit and watch something mindless on TV. Me and DH have our chatting about our day time when we go to bed so don't miss that aspect. However, i am glad I have a dining table for when we have people over for big meals which is something we just couldn't do in our old homes.

We always use our table. If we didn't the dogs would all over us. Plus if I eat a full meal sitting on a sofa I get indigestion.

We use ours for every mealtime and then we can talk about our days. The Dc like it and it's a crucial part of being a family.
We use it for playing board games, Lego, drawing etc too.

We have two dining tables! The two of us use a smaller table in our living room every day, and we have a larger table that sits 14 in the dining room that we just use for dinner parties, Christmas etc.

We eat all evening meals together at the kitchen table, lunch times the kids are at school or myself or my OH might not be home but if we are we try to eat together. Sometimes we sit in the garden and eat our evening meal. Breakfast tend to be staggered but still eaten at the table. Food isn't allowed in the living room. We do have a tv in the kitchen though. As a child we had a much smaller house and ate off our laps. I'd hate to do that now.

We use our table every single day, breakfast and supper, lunch too at weekends, and of course when we have more formal dinners with guests. So does all my family and everyone I know.

We have conversations and it teaches the children essential manners. How are your children going to know the etiquette which may be essential to them in careers - so many corporate job interviews involve a subtle assessment of dining behaviour, and once you have a professional job you will be expected to dine with clients and stakeholders. Not sure that eating off their knees is going to prepare them.

(But if I'm on my own or ill, I occasionally eat off my knees on the sofa for a treat.)

Don't you ever have people round for dinner? Family occasions etc... What will you do at Christmas? You can't have Christmas dinner in front of the TV surely... You have to host at some point...

Oh dear, I'm only up to page 4 but I can't believe some of the rubbish spouted so far, the last one being about kids who don't sit around the table of an evening can't possibly know how to act appropriately in a restaurant!

We have no room for a dining table, I wish we did, I would LOVE one but we manage. We sit together as a family every night, we're not slouched supping beer from our cans, dripping food down our chins, we eat perfectly feckin' normal, oh and we've been taking ds into restaurants since he was a baby and we've always been told how well behaved and polite he is and he knows how to use a knife & fork, now there's a novelty!

Honestly!

Not into TV dinners myself and wouldn't dream of eating a meal on my lap slouched in front of the tv! Surely a small table should suffice! We ALWAYS eat a the dinner table and so does everyone we know!

Sorry, Not sure where you eat, but surely sofa dinners everyday is just slobby! And surely a hassle of where to balance drinks etc, ends up more grief due to increased likelihood of spillage / dropped food. Is it anymore hassle to put your knife and folk on the table than on a tray? Plus if you're watching TVs when eating that's even worse! Don't think even McDonald's put TV's in their restaurants, and certainly no decent one would, for the simple reason it's not good manners! Again homework / drawing etc is done on the dining room table.

Yabu if you think no one needs a dining table anymore, but of course you don't need to have one if you don't want to.

I have a dining-kitchen with a large table in it, we eat all our meals there. The table also gets used for homework, snacks/coffee, drawing, playdoh, Hama beads, junk modelling, wrapping presents... - it's probably used more than anything else in our house, including the sofa. I can't imagine functioning without it!

I dont really like separate dining rooms, but that's because I find the dining-kitchen more sociable. Just me though, I don't expect everyone else to reject dining rooms based on my opinion!

I love having a table, we eat dinner every day at the table and most of the people I know do also. If you don't want one that's fine but I think yabu to say it's not necessary for every one anymore. It's personal need/choice.

We have a small dining table (seats 4) which folds down to a 2 seater. We also have a very large piece of MDF in the garage which converts it into a table for up to 10 people. Come Christmas we drag in the MDF, iron the giant table cloth and ta-dah.

But most of the time we use the kitchen table to eat at as the dining room seems to have morphed into a toy room and computer space.

We also use ours every day

We use ours pretty much most of the day, meals, cups of tea, crafts, chatting in general

We have six kids and are lucky enough to have a house that can have a table, which we can get 8 people round. However it is a bit tight so I tend to feed the kids first and we eat when DW come in from work at about 6 pm. The kids tend to be finished tea just after 5 pm.

It is more difficult to get the 6 of them to eat breakfast at the table.

I've only read the first 3 pages or so, there are lots of people with strong opinions on here! I saw that op posted that she is due a baby soon and wanted to mention that before we had kids, my husband and I would often choose to our meals on the sofa, despite us both being bought up having traditional sit down at table meals as children. Once our kids came, it all changed and I could not do without my table. We use it every meal time for eating, we do food prep with our 4 year old and 2 year old, and we use it for arts and crafts. I know every family is different, but we definitely love our dining table.

We eat in the kitchen at a proper table. Breakfast and the main meals. No TV there.
It's a great time to catch up and actually talk with eachother with no distractions.
I make a point of not even having a TV in the kitchen.

We do have the occasional TV dinner, usually for pizza or if an important game is on. Otherwise, these days we watch the programmes we want when we want to, so no need for TV dinners.

The same goes for extended family meals or having friends around.

We use our table multiple times a day and for most meals. I wouldn't be without it! I have one that can seat 4 or be opened out to seat 6.

Children need to learn to sit at a table and learn how to use a knife and fork .They can also have a cover satin with their parents even if it is on it for a Sunday lunch .The table can be used to play board games,painting etc..I have met children who had never sat up for a meal always in front of the television and could not use a knife and fork even when they were due to start school .Are we going backwards ?

Setting the table takes ages when you have to clear all of Gotham city off it first.

We appear to be modern. At least I haven't walked out in my crinoline for MONTHS. But despite the rush of modern life yes we do eat at the table every day - not every meal. A pizza in front of a film or a favourite TV programme is pretty normal but I'd say 95% of meals are eaten together at the table. It's not formal. The silverware is only used on Sundays and even then it depends if the butler is sober, which is rare since he lost all that money on the horses.

We eat at the dining table every night, and at weekends also every breakfast and lunch too.

Also, if I got rid of it then there wouldn't be anywhere to put my sewing machine!

I can't imagine a house without a big table.

This makes me so sad! We're currently in the process of buying a new home and I'm making DH put an extension on just for a dining table! (New house is perfect except it lacks a dining room!). I was raised with dinners round the table and I can't wait to raise my DD the same! It's a must have for me I'm afraid!