"fmaily meals" whose ferigging idea was that

[NotCod]

because i pretend that they are fufn btu they are awful

dh shovels food in as fast as he can to sotp the agony

kids eat either super fast or S l o w l y

and oh its vile

who said 'of you don't eat it tough'?

I don't mind eating with my children. Other people's children I find a chore, however. Hence DH and I ate later tonight as DS had friend for tea. 'Twas bangers and mash (safeish) and the DC had carrots and peas and we had peas and sauteed leeks and chard. I'm glad I didn't eat with the children, it was bad enough just being in the same room as them.

My general rules are try everything on your plate, wait until everyone has finished, ask to leave the table alongside the using knife and fork properly/elbows/closed mouths etc.

Normally we eat together at 6-6.30 kind of time.

TOnight the kids asked for spaghetti bolognaise. Ds liked it dd hated it. I was eating with them in the hope it would help. Crying, whinging, getting up and down, me trying to tell dd to eat the food, asked her to eat another mouthful and which point she vomited everything she'd eaten back into her plate of food. Ooh, it was lovely. So charming and fun

Ds said, 'I don't think she'll be eating it now, will she mummy?'

Good thread Cod. Family meals are shit round here (and we do them every bloody night).

On the one hand I'm relieved that we're not the only ones suffering.

On the other, I'm utterly depressed that matters are unlikely to improve in the foreseeable future. Dang.

We do eat together most evenings, but sometimes with sporty things it is a case of blipping clingfilmed meals...

When we do it usually goes something like this.

Ds: When's it ready when's it ready ect ect oooh can I have that bit... that bit's not as big, that ones less crispy...

DD: As above with the occasional "Will there be enough for seconds" or "don't put that on that bit, I don't want bean juice on my wedges"

Dh: Have you put salt in this yet, have you stirred this it's a bit lumpy... Shall I get that out of the oven.

Shrooms: >has walked out of the room to change DD2, fold a couple of towels up and send a text message, and none of the above have noticed.

And that's before we've even sat down...

Oh, at last a thread where it's actually an advantage to have an only child! At least, I think it probably helps. No squabbling (although now I come to think of it, ds and dh often fall out).

Don't eat with ds when he has a friend round, though. Usually the kitchen table is covered in crap - old newspapers, various books (adult and child), letters, a few toys, so there's no room for visiting child, ds and two adults.

They can be funny though when you tell them it's for their own good and when they grow up they will have to make conversation and then they pretend to be at a dinner party and have to discuss poo/ nintendo levels/ bullies/ nasty teachers politely and all goes swimmingly until someone farts...

from earlier down the thread 'if they don't eat with you all of the time how will they ever know how to do it.'

this makes me lol
we only ever ate with my parents on Sundays
and yet all 4 of us still manage to sit around a table and eat ina perfectly civilised manner
I don't know how we did it what with being dragged up

I am profoundly grateful that ds takes after dh, not me and I've been spared a fussy eater. My mother says it's not fair!

well we eat together most nights
but I have only one dc that needs prompting to behave in civilised manner other one old enough to act like adult.

As for the food ds gets watered down simple version of ours if it's something he won't eat..which is fairly regular.

Also am lucky as dh home early.

Agree if there were two or more kids squabbling it would drive me mad.