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 just have a lot of clubs!

Dd1 has guides one night a week (though that's later), and two nights a week she has gymnastics.

Then on the other nights Dd2 has rainbows, and swimming lessons! And gymnastics at the weekend 🤦🏻‍♀️

Plus we have to factor in dog walks after work too - the dog gets fed before we do!

I know what you mean about the constant rush OP. But as you say, I wouldn't want to take their extra curricular activities away. I did barely anything as a kid (seen as an unnecessary extravagance I think) and I have no hobbies as an adult because I can't do anything for myself without thinking it's a waste of time and money. Not a mentality I want my daughters to share.

Slow cookers are your friend, come home to a cooked chili or curry and we have a separate rice cooker so put that on as we walk through the door on the table in 20 mins. Even if you eat at separate times it's just one set of cooking. During the 20 mins rice is cooking, wash and pack lunches for the next day, make overnight oats for breakfast, prep veg for the next days dinner. I managed to only cook and wash up once a day, dirty stuff goes in the dishwasher.

The best thing we did after COVID was slim down the clubs but also there is just me and one DD. And there were definitely nights where dinner was eaten in the car on the way to activities. Or we would have a light dinner like soup followed by supper after activities, especially swimming when she was starving

Older children have clubs that are much later.

Scouts is 7-9pm. Sports training likewise.
Cadets 6:30 - 8:30 (that was a McDonald's night)

We ate at about 6 but it was in between school and clubs.

When they were younger it would be sarnie in the car on the way to swimming or ballet or similar then hot food later when home.

We do all the clubs on Saturdays so none in the week. Home from work and after school club at 5pm, dinner at 5:30, bedtime between 6:30-7 then I get my free time in the evening when kids are in bed.

I wouldn't focus on the 5pm, just find a time that works and see if you can condense any of the activities into fewer days

No, which is why during the week we don’t try. We aim to have “family dinner” every Sunday if we can.

Nope. I think when mine were very small and had eaten at nursery I could just make them a quick snack, but even then it would probably have been after 6. Now they are 12 and 14, between work and clubs we never eat before 7.30. Often I'm not home until 6.

Because I have a 4 and 6 year old who both need to get up at 6:30 am 😫

Why up so early?

My children eat at 6 pm, myself 7 pm and dh around 9 pm. We all got our different rythms and different things we like to eat. I sit down with my children while they eat though to talk.

To leave the house at 7:30 so that I can get to work.

Not a chance in my house, no.

Barely finished work at 6, even WFH no way diner can be ready that early.
Kids usually at one club or other, they are not home so early!

I don't even want diner at 6. It's my own fault, but I am really not hungry first thing, so have breakfast mid-morning, lunch early afternoon when I feel like it, I can't eat again late afternoon!

When I had school aged kids, we usually ate around 6.30, and together was no problem. We did have plenty of after school activities but they were generally before 6 and after 7, so it naturally fit.

Now that they are older it's harder as everyone runs on different work and uni schedules. Sometimes they cook for themselves. So it's all over the place.

We all sit and eat at 5:30pm. Made it a priority, but lucky as can wfh and demand flexible working

We don’t sit down together due to work, clubs etc. Kids eat at the table together and we eat later. At weekends we do eat lunch and dinner together but life at the moment isn’t conducive to weekdays. I can’t get stressed about it.

We eat just after 5 But I'm a SAHM and my husband is home by then.
On a couple of days a week the children have activities which end at 6 so we eat when they get back.

I eat with the children but it can be anytime between 4:15pm (the busiest clubs day starting at 5pm and back at 8pm) to 6:15pm.

Any later they get past it and don't eat properly.

We have dinner between 17:30/18:30 depends on the day. If I wfh I make a start on the dinner on my lunch break. If I’m in the office we will usually have something I’ve already made out the freezer - I get it out in the morning before I leave. Over making dinners is your friend, making lasagne, pies, chilli, curry, soup, sauce bases, vegetable bakes - make double and throw it in the freezer for next week or the week after. They freeze well, easy to heat up and cuts back on food waste. I like to try and avoid processed food for the children and so don’t keep a stash of chicken nuggets or anything like that. On Friday we will eat a bit later and the children make their own pizzas, I freeze the dough I make into 3 or 4 packs and then use it in the upcoming weeks. Frozen veg is great if you’re in a hurry. Once you get into making extra it’s easy to have a stocked freezer for those busy evenings when you’re rushing around. I will cook ahead on the weekends too, but depends what we’re up too - appreciate that all the cooking isn’t up everyone’s street and some people want to prioritise other things .

If you want to make multiple sitting dinners easier then go for something that can be kept warm and dished up at different times.

All in one casseroles, curry with microwave rice, chilli and tortilla chips (chilli in oven), oven risotto etc.

We sit down and eat at six or just before some nights in the week but twice a week DS goes to after-school club and having had porridge with fruit or overnight oats for breakfast and a hot lunch he then eats his own bodyweight in sandwiches and things like flapjack at ASC, so might only want a yoghurt and fruit when he gets home, if that's the case DH and I will eat after he's in bed. I use the slow cooker, or batch cook and just have to do rice/pasta/veg which is all quick, or we'll have stir fry or something fast.

Neither of us has a long commute though, and both condense hours so I'm off Mondays and DH Fridays so can do pick up put something on then do clubs so it's ready when we get home. I also often WFH one day a week so will put jacket potatoes in and then when I get home from pick up around 5:45 I can just pan fry some salmon/seabass and steam some veg.

DS has activities straight after school or 4-5 so it works

We don’t

I’m home by 4.30 and eat around then
dh eats when he gets in about six
(I cook for him but leave it for him often it’s batch cooked)
kids eat at childminder and then supper about 8 at home

I wfh 2 days a week, and do 7:30-16:00 in the office the other 3. DH wfh full time.

We always sit down to eat by 6 at the latest. One day a week DD1 goes to rainbows so we actually eat at more like 5 - that day is always something really easy like jacket potatoes that we can put in the oven while we're still working because that takes no time at all.
Other days one of us might put something in the slow cooker during our lunch break. Or we'll have batch cooked at the weekend. Or I'm home and done with work by 16:30 so can easily cook.

If we both worked out of the house in jobs with no flexitime, it wouldn't happen.

We've always eaten at 6pm. But I worked part time, often finished by 5pm and batch cooked, and had everything prepped, so it was easy.

At the risk of sounding like a 4 year old we eat at 5! I wfh self employed and dh works 8-4.30 home at 5. being home i have dinner ready, two days a week kids have clubs at 4 so i have a slow cooker dinner in and just have to boil pasta/rice at 5. We both clear up so by half five the rest of the evening is ours, 2 hours with the kids to play then they go up and we have from half 7. We are lucky with the schedule but also its down to dh changing hours at work and pre planning with slow cooker

I couldn't eat as early as 6. We're all late eaters here; we either have hobbies for the kids after work/school or just want some time to all relax together or go for a walk, do homework, etc.

Earliest we eat is about 7ish. Sometimes DH and I still aren't hungry, so we give the kids dinner and sit with them and have a cup of tea while they eat. Weekends and we're all usually happy to sit down together by 8/8.30.