What are you doing right now?

[Muchadoaboutlife]

I always thought having a family (husband and kids) meant I’d never be alone or lonely and my life would be full. It’s full but full of cleaning up after them and feeding them. Friday night and I’m on my own in the sitting room again while kids and husband are all in separate rooms on their devices/headphones/games. Is this normal? Do you spend evenings sat on your own while the rest of your family play on devices/consoles? What are your kids and partners doing right now?

Drinking. Watching old telly.

My tween and teens don't have tv's or consoles in their room. We spend every evening together, albeit devices out. We chat about what we're doing / reading on our devices and watch Netflix together. Console is only for weekends, it's in the front room, and is off by 7pm.
We are so close as a family but then we didn't provide the facility for the children to sit in solitude in their bedroom in the first place.

Toddler DS is asleep in his cot, DH and I are sat on the sofa together watching Newsnight, but he’s also on his iPad and I’m also on my phone on Mumsnet.

If you want quality time insist on it - a family board games night once a week, or two nights a week where you read books and ban TV etc - ask your family what they’d like to do, and compromise.

Second not allowing TVs, laptops or devices in children’s bedrooms.

No TVs or devices in the bedrooms. We have a big house with multiple sitting rooms so it’s easy for everyone to have one each. That has its downsides! I asked the kids to switch off the consoles and we ended up having a lovely eve watching some children in need. I love it when we all just hang out together.

We have the Xbox in the living room, laptops are allowed in bedrooms because it's where exam revision takes place.

Just me and DH and DDog. No kids. We are together all the time and WFH too ( well not DDog!) Never lonely.

Get a cleaning system so you aren't cleaning all the time. Make sure everyone pitches in.

Have at least one evening a week the whole family plays a game or something. Encourage suggestions from the kids.

Lying in bed reading Mumsnet until DH and DDog ready to get up

No TVs or devices in the bedrooms. We have a big house with multiple sitting rooms so it’s easy for everyone to have one each.

I guess people are using the house you've chosen then? It's not as if they're all hiding in their bedrooms and that's a good thing.

We're all together but dd is playing on her iPad, I'm mumsnetting, DH is watching strictly.