To think that it’s impossible to have a 6pm family dinner time?

[whatonearthishappenin]

Do people really sit down at 6 pm and eat dinner together as a family in the evening?

If so, how?

I’m not always home from work by then, my children have afterschool club and clubs… swimming, football, dance etc… how do people manage it?

We sit down together but normally later than 6!

Not here, but I have late teens now. But since covid (so last five years) our dinner meal has been 7pmish. If there is a club that starts at 7 dinner is 630 but a major rush tbh. Normally it’s around 715/730 - family are currently eating now.

we tried Christmas dinner at 530 and it was too early for us. Next year we will have it at 7!

By having jobs that start before 9am and clubs that finish by 4.30pm or start around 7pm.

Different work schedules and different routines.

I work full time from home. Finish at 5 and cook something fast while DH collects DS from nursery (DD already home from school). We then eat all together at 5.20 every day.

I'd LIKE to have dinner at 6pm but if I'm at work, I can't even get home for then, let alone have dinner ready. On days I work from home, I still don't finish in time to have dinner ready for then.

YANBU. Dh gets in with the kids at about half five as we are very lucky that he works in the town we live in. I don't get in til 6 (and that's if the traffic is good), and we have a dog to walk, various clubs to get to, etc etc.

Even when I was a kid we didn't have dinner until about half 7 as we waited for my dad to get home from work - London to home counties commute.

Erm, we all get home by 6?

I'm not sure I understand how you're supposed to answer this without seeking pedantic.

I used to be home by 5ish and if DH was off (shift work) we'd be good to eat at 6pm. My two never did any week night clubs except for cubs/scouts which all started later so we could eat first.

We don't. Our appetites aren't aligned. Partner prefers to eat much later than I do and 6pm would be too late for evening meal for my 1 year old.
We do try and eat together for breakfast and possibly lunch if DP off work.

Wouldn’t be possible for us for all the reasons you mention. I assume people who do, have a SAHP so kids picked up from school at 3:30, kids with fewer hobbies, and a partner with the kind of job that finishes at 5pm on the dot (and no commute).

We do often eat dinner together but a) definitely not every day, and b) it is usually closer to 7pm.

Well obviously it depends on work and routines.
i manage by wfh or doing a split day and finishing off wfh. Finish work about 5.15 and start cooking.
Some days we have it earlier or later and work around activities.

When I didn’t work from home and we all got back at 6 it was a bit of a pain but the kids were younger then and generally ate at the childminders.

I finish work at 4:30 and collect my DC at 5. Usually home for 5:15. So depending on what’s for dinner, it can be 6 - 6:30.

If I’ve made something in the slow cooker or something that I’m reheating from bad cooking, then it’s 6pm. Otherwise, I could make a stirfry or a quick chicken curry et cetera and have dinner for 6:30.

When I was a child I remember always eating dinner at 6pm.

It just seems such a shame these days that life is a constant rush… home from work, rushing to clubs, late and separate dinners, wrestling children to bed… I’m just not sure if it’s just me who feels this way.

We all eat at different times in the week and together, at the same time Fri-Sunday.

We generally have ours at 5:30, the exception is a night our son has dance and our son and which ever parent takes him that week will eat later so we make sure its a meal that can easily be reheated.

It’s doable - but if you’re getting home comparatively late then it’s an advanced planning game.

On nursery days, first person home gets in about 18:00 with 3 yr old. And gets dinner out of the oven and plates up. It’s casserole, or shepherd pie or jacket potatoes on a timer, maybe add microwaved beans. Or something in the fridge ready to go in the microwave.

Ditch the weekday clubs?

Well, if people aren't home then it will not work.

But we had days when DD and DS didn't have clubs, DH would arrive home by then and I was a SAHM for several years.
Both of my DC enjoyed coming home from school and not rushing off to clubs every night.

All families are different. I know one where an evening meal together doesn't work but they all sit down for half an hour every morning and have a proper breakfast with the table laid, milk in jugs, toast in the toast rack etc. Our mornings were more chaotic.

If you wfh it’s fairly easy tbh. After school clubs are usually over by five and school is ten minutes walking distance.

How long is your commute?

I WFH

We eat at 5.30pm

We are like coal miners

And absolutely no after school clubs

Kids are knackered enough as it is, poor little beggars

2 shift workers and 2 7-4's here so sometimes we do, sometimes we don't! It's not an issue

Back in the day before COVID, when I was in the office, I used to batch cook at the weekend

Big soup
Chilli
Quiche
Spag sauce, etc

Made things a bit easier

I work in different places each day so that makes it all the more difficult. Probably the clubs that are the real problem because it’s all a constant rush but they would hate to give up football, swimming and dance. I feel like I’m just battling all the time and it’s exhausting.

Dinner together would make it feel less of a battle but probably not do-able bar the weekend.