How many of you eat at the table as a family as opposed to in front of the tv???

[shoneshine]

I prefer to as it seems to keep the front room free of spills, cumbs etc, also like to teach the kids table manners and have a conversation. DH agrees but also doesnt see the harm in occasionaly eating in the front room sat on couch. What does everyone else prefer?

At the table - if all three of us sit on our very small sofa, we're hard pressed to eat a biscuit without synchronising arm movements, much less eat a meal .

Always at the table...not even drinks are allowed out of the kitchen...but its usually just the children eating. DH home later. I sit with them during week but dont eat and we make a effort for all six of us to eat toether at the weekends.....but it is often painful with bickering etc...distracted by the TV sounds like a good idea to avoid the stress....think might lighten up ...like the idea of weekend picnics/pizza/dvd thing...think we can get a bit too preciuos about these things sometimes...

Table every day, every meal. Ds will even go to the table with a biscuit or a drink of water.

He would have to get a whole lot neater to eat on the lounge suite.

THe DCs always eat at the table, except in the summer when we often have picnics in the garden for their evening meal.

DH and I usually eat in front of the TV, but we are trying to cut down (will be easier when this series of Masterchef finishes).

Though last Saturday I suddenly remembered that every Saturday as a child, we would have tea in front of the TV and I think I'd like to resurrect that tradition, but maybe when DS gets to a slightly less messy stage.

We eat every day at the table, but once in a blue moon will have a takeaway in the living room in front of the telly.

Always have kids and us eat together at table at weekends for lunch. This is very important to us as we are not often all together.

We eat a light tea (i.e fruit, sandwiches, drink) in the evening in front of TV as kids go to after school club and me and my wife never eat dinner for health reasons.

yes table in kitchen usually, although ds sometimes has breakfast on sofa. literally.

we've got a small telly by the table though, usually not on but sometimes it is. i am not that keen on tv, would far rather read through a meal. i bet that is frowned on too.

Supposedly I read somewhere that only 1 in 20 UK households sits down to eat together most nights.. or was it only 1 in 20 families have a table they can all sit at..

An Italian friend of ours who brings teenagers over for an exchange each year has to brief the Italian kids on the protocol of eating all meals from a tray on the sofa and the english teacher has to explain to the Brits that they will eat with the Italian family, all together and the meal will probably last about 2 hours with conversation thrown in.
Both sets enjoy the contrast of the different experience.

always at the table as a family, in front of a DVD with a take away on Sat night for DH and I sometimes though

I remember sitting at a table when I was smaller, but for a long time my parents and brother and I always ate in front of the TV. Not ucchance for conversation, but also less fighting.

No kids yet, DP and I are probably half and half dinner at table vs dinner on sofa.

Over 90% of the time all of us at the table. The rest the children eat at the table then we eat later normally on our laps but occasionally at the table.

We all eat at the table together, no TV. Even if I'm on my own I eat at the table.

I couldn't bear the mess of eating in the lounge.

In 23 years, we have never eaten anywhere other than the dining room, Now it is just DH and I and we still eat at the table, candle and all!

I am on my own MO - ri, I just can't eat infront of the TV, I have tried it, but it doesn't feel right, or good for my digestion!

All meals at the table in the dining room, the dc's help to lay and clear the table.

As a 'treat' we sometimes get a takeaway on a Saturday night and eat it in front of the tv, but this is rare.

as a family
breakfast is always at the kitchen table unless we are having a birthday treat of breakfast in bed
lunch is at the table
dinner is at the table 95% of the time, occasionally we watch a film and have pizza

however if DH and I have time on our own without the boys we are a bit more lax about eating meals in the sittingroom.

Our table is in the kitchen with a tv right there. We read at the table too and use laptops...bad, bad family manners!

I love being on the sofa with a tray of nice food next to me and a good book. That's a lunch time treat for me.

One night a week (usually Fridays) in front of telly.

I would happily eat in front of telly every night, I spend most the meal at the table telling DC to stop arguing talking and eat anyway.

Table at all times.

Table, except when DP & I are alone, then maybe in living room, unless we've made an effort with dinner, or it has a sauce!
Saturday nights we allow 6yo to eat in front of tv sometimes, oncethe baby is asleep.
This seems to tally with a lot of MNers here. I heardrecently the sales of dining tables had plumeted, as more families ate on the go, but you wouldn't think so reading the posts of you civilised lot!

My two sibs and I always had tea in front of the telly watching Vision On and Take Hart - and it didn't do us no harm .

My DH likes the three of us to eat in the dining room (don't have a TV there) but sometimes I rebel! I'm not going to let it become a hard and fast rule because sometimes I don't want to chat over a meal - the nightly 2-hour Italian dinners sound dreadful! We're a close family so do plenty of chatting without being forced to at mealtimes.

Think some of you need to chill

general rule is table altogether as far as poss

if kids in bed, dh and i sometimes eat dinner in front of a dvd

and sunday morning breakfast is usually somewhere picnic style

or unless kids have built a den, in which case most meals are taken there until it is dismantled

General rule all evening meals at table, with odd pizza in front of TV.
Lunch at weekends at table and breakfast where ever

Evening meals are at the table together unless it's Pizza & Movie night

We eat loads of meals in front of the tv.
If it is just dh and I then we hardly ever sit at the table. I often let dd eat infront of the tv. My mum was quite chilled about it and so am I.

I don't have a table - just a fold out one which is too much hassle to drag out of the corner all the time. If I had space for one, we'd always eat round it.