To think these are typical meal times/bed times in the UK

[Verybritishtimings]

Breakfast - between 6 and 8 (weekday/weekend dependant). Accept will be later if you have a long lie in - I have small kids so it doesn't happen.
Lunch - between 12-1.30
Dinner - generally between 6-8 - could be as early as 5 for small children.

Bedtime - between 9.30-midnight for adults under normal circumstances, no special events. Between 7-8.30 for youngish children.

I have a friend who constantly gaslights me about this. I'm crazy that my kids go to bed at 7 (they are ready for bed then and always wake before 7 regardless). I invite her round at 2pm and she brings HER OWN LUNCH because 'i eat so early and she couldn't possibly'. Is she trying to be every so continental or something?!

This is light hearted, don't care when people eat on their own time but my timings align with the majority of the population and the work/school day do they not?!

How do you know the bedtime of everyone you've ever met, that can't possibly be true can it?

Who on earth needs time away from their DC in the evenings to chill out? What an absolutely outlandish freakish thing to do (which I have been doing for years or my sanity would be gone by now) 🤣

When mine have gone to bed later if we’ve been out etc they still get up early 🤦🏼‍♀️

Pretty much!
I eat breakfast between 7.45-8.30
Lunch - 12-1.
dinner - I like to eat early around 6.
I don’t know how people eat late every night - that would do my digestion in!
Bed - 10-11. Later if I’ve eaten late.
DCs went to bed at 7 until they were 8 then it was 8 and went up until they could regulate their sleep, but at secondary it had to be 10 as they were up at 6.30.

I get up at 4.30 so always hungry I'm ready for a roast dinner by 11am.
We have always had brekkie between 6 and 7.30 lunch 12 at the latest even 11is more normal and tea by around 4pm.
I've always sorted of been on school hours with my body clock. Always got hanger if I haven't had food. But I'm not bothered for eating on an evening. Bed is ideally between 9 and 11pm but when my kids were at school we were all in bed for 8.30/9pm as we were all shattered and early risers.
I'm closer to OPs normality.

Children in a later running routine won't be though, unless they just have very low sleep needs, in which case bed at 7pm would just mean they are up at 5am or earlier. If a child needs 10 hours and you need 8 you will get two hours at some point, bedtimes don't make a difference.

The same applies to the OP Surely?

Sounds about right to me. None of us eat breakfast but lunch is usually 12-1 and we rarely eat after 6pm.

I work full time, so I miss my kid a lot. All my friends are fine with my kid being there and I don't do "girls night out", clubbing or drinking sessions. Mainly dinners at home or at a restaurant. I do get some free time when my son is with his dad but I'm not really bothered about it.
I guess my lifestyle is not "standard".

Everyone in my friendship group/family also do a 7pm bedtime for babies/younger kids. Also means we are all free of an evening if we want to meet up!

Yep same here. Tried all that years ago with my eldest ones and they never slept later. If it's not broken there's no need to fix it, so always stuck to early to bed early to rise. At least I got guaranteed peace and quiet every evening.

I couldn’t be arsed with any of this, my mealtimes have changed throughout my life to suit my circumstances, bringing children up, husband working away, working full time whilst bringing the family up, managing hobbies etc.

That’s why we’re all different. My normal won’t be yours.

Now at 58 with a DH working away all week, I eat brunch at 11 and tea (dinner) at 4.

DD think it’s hilarious that I eat tea at 4, go to bed at 8:30 and am awake and pottering at 4, she says I’m officially old. I don’t care, it’s lovely, only me to think about and it works for me and my life now.

Her kids are in for a shock when they start school.

Arrive at 8.30 so need to be up early.

4/5 years olds’ lunch starts at 11.40 to accommodate all the years to eat, 10/11 years olds eat at 12.35.

Her children will be ravenous if they have to wait until late for dinner, and not to mention exhausted if they don’t get to bed early.

But then that probably explains why so many children get to our school without having had breakfast and spend all day yawning.

Your times are good for you.
Her are good for her.

My husband and I rarely had lunch at work. We didn't have time. A cuppa and an apple was all I had time for. My DH was lucky if he had coffee and a biscuit between operations and consultations.

Not everyone works 9 to 5. Many bring work home after their contracted hours.
Many can't WFH or work an office environment. Actually, many of us wouldn't want to!

One would assume it would be more of a social engagement if you invited her for lunch between 1 and 2.

Or if you could invite later for a cup of tea coffee at 2.30.

Parents in my circle didn't have money for babysitters or going out so most socialising was at each others homes and included the children who played together while adults talked.

We only needed an hour before school in the mornings.

Fair enough. I’m talking once every 4-6 week so not frequently. We don’t pay for baby sitters. I couldn’t imagine keeping my one year old up and taking her to my friend’s house to ‘play’ with her children whilst we ate and chatted. I leave them at home in bed with my husband instead so I can actually have a conversation that isn’t interrupted 😆🙌🏻 but that is normal here.

A whole hour?

Children in a later routine aren't being kept up, that's their normal. So they will be happy playing and not overtired. If they were up past their normal bedtime at a weekend gathering then there would always be a sofa or bed available for them to take themselves to.

Generally an hour at night and an hour in the morning at infant school age. Two hour difference in their sleep needs and mine.

If your kids go to bed at 10 or 10.30 how to they get their recommended amount of sleep? Do they manage to get up and go to school or nursery?

www.gosh.nhs.uk/conditions-and-treatments/procedures-and-treatments/sleep-hygiene-children/

Okay.. two whole hours?

I appreciate that but I still prefer being child free if socialising with friends or to chill by myself / with my husband in the evening after a long day with them!

I needed a quiet hour to myself in the morning. No quiet once they were up! Evenings were much easier with everyone winding down as they would play quietly or read or watch something then.

It would be the same with an earlier bedtime as then they'd have been up when I was up.