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AIBU?

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Original poster

To struggle to find something to talk about at dinner?

58 replies

SquirrelFan · 04/10/2020 20:56

Especially during Covid, especially on a rainy Sunday? My DH, my DC and I sat around the table masticating as I desperately tried to think of something to say. We had very little to report on our days--I ironed and watched a film, DC (16) was on the computer doing homework and gaming, and DH did a bit of work. I'd love to live in a family with lots of chat and good-natured teasing! What does everyone talk about? Suggestions welcomed.

OP posts:
Leobynature · 04/10/2020 21:45

Ha I never shut up, I talk about work, hopes, dreams, plans, memories, current affairs, feelings, history, music.

I am not cultured enough to discuss the arts although I would love to and unfortunately I don’t have any hobbies.

Millie2013 · 04/10/2020 21:46

Over the past few days, we’ve talked about:

DD’s toy farm and what the animals are up to Grin
OH’s sports match, highs and lows
Pet mischief
Plans for a (tiny) family birthday tea, next weekend
Recipe ideas
Tentative holiday plans for next year
Things we love about autumns and winter (not much in my case)

40PlusTTC · 04/10/2020 21:46

This was our dinner convo tonight (kids are 13, 11 and 7):

  • will Trump die? do we believe he is ill?
  • is it ever ok to wish death on anyone?
  • could you have wished death on Hitler?
  • what if Hitler was a baby and you had a chance to kill him as an infant knowing what he would grow into?
  • why are we talking about this stuff?
  • is this what you talk about when you study philosophy?
  • what’s the difference between philosophy and psychology?
  • why don’t the kids’ schools schools offer philosophy or psychology?
  • what other school subjects begging with p... ?
  • I said p.e first, no I did, no you didn’t, I did, you are a liar etc etc etc
  • a lecture about fightIng at the table.
Leobynature · 04/10/2020 21:47

I also have a 2 year old so I am also trying to get her at eat, sit and use cutlery Grin

Wrenna · 04/10/2020 21:50

I gave up years ago and put on dinner music in the kitchen. My dh grew up eating totally in silence and though is a bit better my iPad is better company (though I do not do it at the table as much as I’m tempted). DS is the same as dh, Sometimes I just clam up and let them try to carry it, it exhausts me after 20 years! Since ds is now at Uni we started eating in front of the tv a few times a week. It’s shit but better than a divorce!

Begonias · 04/10/2020 21:52

We talk about some random stuff. Tonight's hot topics were Trump, covid, GCSEs Uber eats as 12 yr old DD loves junkfood, plans for tomorrow. Clubs drop off and pick ups.
We have 3 DDs and it's never quiet at the dinner table, there's always something to talk about. It's usually the eldest that discusses politics with her dad. She's 15 and at that age were you think you can conquer anything. I love her ambitionSmile

FreddieRocks · 04/10/2020 21:52

As a break from the requests to sit down properly and eat their supper, we talk about what’s been everyone’s favourite thing over the last week/what they’re looking forward to/what they’ve done recently that they’re proud of/something one of us has done that the others are proud of etc. It can feel a bit like firing questions rather than chat, but it’s better than staring glazed at the tv!

Serin · 04/10/2020 21:53

All sorts of random stuff, it helps that 3 of us work in the NHS and another is a teacher, so there is always something to chat about.
The other family member works in IT and is naturally very quiet, I don't think he says a word some evenings.
Favourite topics are sports, nature, the garden, whether we should all be vegetarian (some are), what stars are showing in the sky tonight, music, current affairs, history (esp family history)

AutumnSummersBuffysCousin · 04/10/2020 21:57

Tonight we talked about our favourite animals at the zoo cause the eldest went to the zoo yesterday.Which led to talking about David Attenborough,then my youngest said he didn’t like him, so we all nearly fell of our chairs, and we made him prove that he did know who he was so he did some funny DA impressions. Then we talked about getting everything ready for the week ahead and finished with a fight about who was cleaning up.

Doliv63 · 04/10/2020 22:05

TBH I will do anything to avoid sitting and eating a meal with my DH . . I try starting a conversation about light hearted stuff and he just doesn’t follow the cue . My children are all adults and they feel the same. It’s a shame but I kind of gave up a long time ago !!

ProfessorRadcliffeEmerson · 04/10/2020 22:07

We had a long discussion about the US electoral system at lunch today. (DD is 10, and paying attention to the elections.) It taxed my knowledge a bit! And we did some fantasy holiday planning for when this shitshow is over.

Thinkingg · 04/10/2020 22:09

@40PlusTTC

This was our dinner convo tonight (kids are 13, 11 and 7):
  • will Trump die? do we believe he is ill?
  • is it ever ok to wish death on anyone?
  • could you have wished death on Hitler?
  • what if Hitler was a baby and you had a chance to kill him as an infant knowing what he would grow into?
  • why are we talking about this stuff?
  • is this what you talk about when you study philosophy?
  • what’s the difference between philosophy and psychology?
  • why don’t the kids’ schools schools offer philosophy or psychology?
  • what other school subjects begging with p... ?
  • I said p.e first, no I did, no you didn’t, I did, you are a liar etc etc etc
  • a lecture about fightIng at the table.
GrinGrin
Sweetchillijam · 04/10/2020 22:10

It depends DS is quite chatty and has a lot in common with DH now at 16. They will talk about football, golf, maths and physics questions at school and he will engage in conversations with us both about his friends, his day, our days, our work etc. We will talk about other family member and friends etc etc. With DD 15 getting any conversation going at the dinner table is like getting blood out of a stone. At mine DD’s side of the table its like walking on egg shells I mainly get snaps and snarls in return for any attempts I make at conversation or if I so much as happen to glance in her direction.

nobodysdaughter · 04/10/2020 22:14

A good thing to chat about is whatever our dd9 is learning about at school, the First World War, fish, Victorian England, asteroids, Stonehenge, Roman numerals etc. It's interesting to see how much we all know/remember and share random facts and theories we have picked up along the way. We saved the laughter and hi jinx for watching Little Mix - The Search in the living room this evening though.

Notyoungbutscrappyandhungry · 04/10/2020 22:14

Sport, films, politics, religion, ideas, plans. We're a talkative family.

nobodysdaughter · 04/10/2020 22:15

@40PlusTTC you dealt with some of life's bigger questions then, nice work!

MercedesDeMonteChristo · 04/10/2020 22:21

We have a pack of trivial pursuit cards at the table and some other quiz cards. Sometimes I just ask questions in turn. We like it and sometimes some conversations occur because of it. I didn’t do it deliberately, we just seem to have accumulated quiz type stuff near the table.

Etinox · 04/10/2020 22:25

@40PlusTTC

This was our dinner convo tonight (kids are 13, 11 and 7):
  • will Trump die? do we believe he is ill?
  • is it ever ok to wish death on anyone?
  • could you have wished death on Hitler?
  • what if Hitler was a baby and you had a chance to kill him as an infant knowing what he would grow into?
  • why are we talking about this stuff?
  • is this what you talk about when you study philosophy?
  • what’s the difference between philosophy and psychology?
  • why don’t the kids’ schools schools offer philosophy or psychology?
  • what other school subjects begging with p... ?
  • I said p.e first, no I did, no you didn’t, I did, you are a liar etc etc etc
  • a lecture about fightIng at the table.
Grin ‘Would you rather’ turned into shouting slamming doors sulking. It was towards the end of a week long hostage situation our summer holiday. 3 20+ kids SC no tv no shop Grin We played lots of games. And as we don’t usually live together there was a lot to talk about. We also shared the cooking so there was a lot of talk about the recipe, different meals etc. Covid times awful weather end of weekend, I’d imagine the conversation was pretty desultory in most homes tonight op Flowers
NiceGerbil · 04/10/2020 22:26

OP!

you made me think of this Grin

It is hard generally. I don't talk to my meets much because what is there to talk about?

With family it's a combination of silly, mildly taking the piss out of each other, discussing the food. We like cooking and eating so this is great, that bits not a win.

We don't have the same interests so don't talk about that as a group.

Dunno. It's hard. I want conversation cards! You could ask watch that clip and laugh and talk about it... We do that with stuff a lot Grin

RUOKHon · 04/10/2020 22:32

This evening we had to field some very detailed and intense questions about the universe and solar system from our 3 and 6 year olds.

DimityandDeNimes · 04/10/2020 22:33

I know this is sacrilege on Mumsnet but could you eat on a tray in front of the telly a few nights a week? It would do my bloody head in to sit around the table every night talking to the same people - esp as I can't bear people speaking with food in their mouth.

MsTSwift · 04/10/2020 22:34

Girls 11 and 14. Today over dinner

Dd2 birthday plans
Dd2 new friends versus old friends (this is our main topic atm)
Abortion and what is Roe v Wade ( I’ve just watched the Netflix documentary)
The cats and their bad behaviour mainly one eats the others food and is twice the size. Anorexia? Can cats get it? Etc

turquoise50 · 04/10/2020 22:39

Very oldschool suggestion, but when I was a kid we had a Sunday dinner ritual of doing a general knowledge crossword as a family (I think it was the Sunday Express). The rule was we had to answer as many as we could without looking things up, and then we would have recourse to reference books. Sometimes it got quite competitive. Nowadays you'd have to challenge yourselves to do it without Googling, but that's half the fun of it, although it might blow your teen's brain LOL. Grin

(Disclaimer: we only ever did this on Sundays. The rest of the week, my dad usually read a book at the dinner table and ignored us, so we weren't THAT family.)

Lilybet1980 · 04/10/2020 22:56

This is why you should always eat in front of the tv.

BlueCowWonders · 05/10/2020 05:38

This is a really used thread for me!
With older teen dc dinner can be silent! Unfortunately dh's contribution can be 'anything on telly tonight?' before lapsing into silence 🤷🏼‍♀️
Conversations tend to start only after we've all eaten something substantial- I don't think my dc have cottoned on to conversation as another aspect of table manners unless we have visitors
But I keep trying 😄