DO YOU LET YOUR CHILDREN get down from the table before everyone has finished?

[morningpaper]

Do you let your children get down from the table before everyone has finished?

Surely only savages do this?

No, not usually. One notable exception was at Xmas with fraightfully MIL.

What bloody table!!
I can't even see our table for the amount of clothes, crayons, baby monitors etc

Message withdrawn

Having said that ds1 has his own little table and chair to eat at. When he has finished he brings his plate to me to put in the kitchen. Then he gets a wet wipe and wipes the table down!!! He loves cleaning and tidying away, he must think I am so slovenly.

They have to stay at the table until everyone has finished (but don't necessarily obey esp when mummy SMS is home alone with them . The only exception would be if one of them is 'playing up' in some way as I wouldn't want to delay the 'good' DTD IYSWIM.

They are free to leave at breakfast time as we actually find that if they go to the bathroom seperately they actually get ready much much quicker.

We make them stay until everyone has finished. Always have done. Although it has to be said that often it's been grown-ups waiting for children to finish, and also we don't sit there for 3 hours expecting them to wait!

If it's a situation where we're at friends or family or we have people over and adults are lingering over coffee, then children are allowed to go, although my older ones often want to linger for coffee too!

Yes, we generally make them wait until everyone's finished (probably 95% of the time). Although apparently that rule doesn't apply to DH.

Try to keep them at the table till we've all just about finished - but they are 11, 8 and 3.6 so its as much about having time to chat about different schools and playgroups etc and sharing a bit of each other's day than it is purely about eating.

Well I say chat, they do try to yell over each other then strop about being interrrupted. There's more than one type of savage.

Never.

Yes I do! My rules are DS has to take his own plate/bowl and cutlery back to the kitchen. Apart from that he can leave the table when he has finished, as can I.

DS is very tame for a savage!

No, ds is only 11 months and he has to wait til we're finished. I do give him toys to play with when he's finished though. Mealtimes are for chatting, I think, not for eating and leaving the second you're full. Better for digestion to stay at the table for a while, too, IMO