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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Apparently rich people have TVs in their dining room

155 replies

Roundtumble · 16/03/2018 15:25

So I'm having a conversation with a family member about renovating the dining room and they have the idea of putting a TV in there. I said No, Tv's aren't meant for the dining room where we are meant to eat & enjoy each others company as a family. They respond with 'we're rich & rich people have Tv's in their dining room'.
(We are rich= in love, family etc etc not so much money..yet Grin)
First of all I don't know where they got that notion from that rich people have Tv's in their dining room and secondly not so much an Aibu because I don't think I am at all but what's your take on it?

It really annoys me that the TV is for the majority of the time the focal point at a lot of family gatherings(usually the men in my experience.) I think it should be off limits during any type of family time except for movie night etc. It totally takes away from really getting to spend time with your loved ones especially when you hardly get to see eachother with different work schedules/life in general.

OP posts:
Jux · 16/03/2018 16:29

I've never seen a tv in a dining room. Kitchen, yes. I agree with you, no tv in dining room!

theymademejoin · 16/03/2018 16:29

We have a TV in a corner of our very large sitting room so it's not the focus of the room. That's it, for the house. I hate TVs on during meals. My ILs have the TV on permanently in the kitchen and sitting room (they don't have a separate dining room). I just think it is so rude when you have visitors to leave the TV on but they seem to be oblivious to it at this stage.

morningconstitutional2017 · 16/03/2018 16:32

If I was rich enough to have a larger house with a separate dining room I most definitely wouldn't have a tv in there. The dining room is for eating and hopefully conversation.

PrincessScarlett · 16/03/2018 16:33

We don't have a TV in the dining room. But we do have a little one in the kitchen that if angled correctly could be viewed from the dining room through the serving hatch.

Ginza · 16/03/2018 16:34

Totally ashamed of my snobbishness here, but I have to confess that TVs all over a house make me cringe.

We have a dining room, but no TV in it. Also a kitchen-diner with no TV.

(It's only fair to say that DH would have a TV in every single room including bathrooms if he had his way, though.)

DuckBilledAardvark · 16/03/2018 16:35

We have a tv in the sitting room and I hate having it on display when we move house I'm going to built it into cupboard so I don't have to look at the thing when it's not on. A tv in anything other than a sitting room or snug is just weird.

Steakandchips3 · 16/03/2018 16:37

I agree with toasty fingers. The more tv's in the house and the bigger they are the more working class the household. Many middle class people I know do not have a tv at all.

EscapeFromHubby · 16/03/2018 16:37

Used to have a tv in the dining room when I was a kid (no we weren't rich, just meant we didn't all have to watch same crap as DF) but not in my own house. Dining room is for eating and chatting as a family.

wink1970 · 16/03/2018 16:39

Ginza

Yes me too; my DH puts them on every time he enters a room. He even turns the bedroom one on so he can hear it in the ensuite!

But none in the dining room, we have 1 in the kitchen which I put on when I'm cooking though.

Pemba · 16/03/2018 16:39

How can you relax and watch TV sitting bolt upright at a dining table?

Natsku · 16/03/2018 16:40

When I was a kid we had a piano in our dining room.

Same here. If I had a dining room I'd have a piano in it. But now our dining table is in the lounge so we do have a tv where we eat dinner.

Lweji · 16/03/2018 16:42

What's the point of having a TV in the dining room? Sounds pretty daft.

It might be useful if you're dinning alone, but if you're truly rich, then at least you should have your butler for company.

Or your phone, if you're common like me. Grin

ChikiTIKI · 16/03/2018 16:43

Lots of TVs everywhere I think is tacky. They aren't that expensive and I don't remember ever being impressed with the size or number of people's TVs! Would never put one in a dining room, or a bedroom. We have one in our lounge, that's it.

Trinity66 · 16/03/2018 16:43

How can you relax and watch TV sitting bolt upright at a dining table?

Why do you need to be relaxed to watch TV? All you need is your eyes and ears

Creambun2 · 16/03/2018 16:43

Televisions should only be in the drawing room. Having a tv in the bedroom is vulgar.

extinctspecies · 16/03/2018 16:46

TV in dining room is for people with more money than class.

thecatsthecats · 16/03/2018 16:49

My MiL to be has remodelled the kitchen diner so there's a 60" tv on the wall next to the dining table, and a max 3 seater sofa squidged behind the table. If we end up watching telly after dinner at theirs, people have to sit on dining chairs - whilst there's a lounge the size of the kitchen diner on top. Madness.

We have a 4 and a 3 seater sofa, but even they don't all face the TV, on he assumption that if we have friends around to fill the other sofa we'll talk.

Titsywoo · 16/03/2018 16:51

We have too many tv's! One in lounge, one in kitchen diner, one in bedroom and one in eldest dc room. We are getting a new bathroom for me and dh this year and dh wants to put a tv in there! Grin

Lweji · 16/03/2018 16:51

Having a tv in the bedroom is vulgar.

Actually, what's the general opinion on this:

I bought a small tv before I bought a larger tv for the sitting room. So, I ended up with two TVs.
Which is worse? Putting the small tv in the kitchen (aka dining room in my home) or the bedroom? And if the bedroom is the least bad option, should it go in the adult or the child's bedroom?
Or should I just sell it?
It's a minefield.

Lweji · 16/03/2018 16:52

Why do you need to be relaxed to watch TV?

So that you can fall asleep. Jeez.

Trinity66 · 16/03/2018 16:54

Call me Vulgar but I have a TV in my bedroom Grin I mainly use it when I'm on the tread mill for something to watch (oops having a treadmill in there is probably vulgar too)

I bought a small tv before I bought a larger tv for the sitting room. So, I ended up with two TVs.
Which is worse? Putting the small tv in the kitchen (aka dining room in my home) or the bedroom? And if the bedroom is the least bad option, should it go in the adult or the child's bedroom?
Or should I just sell it?
It's a minefield.

It isn't a minefield, it's just a bloody TV in your own home, put it where ever it'll get used most!

crazycatgal · 16/03/2018 16:54

We had a TV in our dining room when I was growing up and we were far from rich. It was for when my DF wanted to watch football and my DM relegated him to the dining room 😂.

Trinity66 · 16/03/2018 16:55

So that you can fall asleep. Jeez.

Grin
Titsywoo · 16/03/2018 16:56

Ha! Then I'm vulgar and don't give a shit. I bloody love watching tv in bed. Doesn't happen often but when it does it's amazing!

Lweji · 16/03/2018 16:58

It isn't a minefield, it's just a bloody TV in your own home, put it where ever it'll get used most!

You're taking this too lighthearted. It isn't. At all. No.