Eating with the kids - who actually enjoys this?!

[choceyes]

Because I don't!!

After having two DCs (now 4 and 2) I have realised that eating uninterrupted is very very important to me and I get pretty when the DCs constantly keep getting in the way of my meal.

The constant requests, more of this, less of that, dropping cutlery, dropping food, spilling water, won't eat this or that, tugging me on the arm while I'm trying to eat, standing up in the chair, trying to get down, me trying to cool down their food by endlessly blowing on it while my own food gets stone cold in the meanwhile (how does that happen?!)...argh all this gives me the rage. I end up eating really quickly and not enjoying my food and I hate that.
If I had a choice I wouldn't eat with the kids, but we try to eat as a family in the evening, and I'm too hungry to wait to eat later anyway.

I'm not alone in not enjoying family mealtimes am I?!

Meeee but then my kids are teens .

the age of your kids is I think, the worst. It will get better. With busy big kids it's really the only time to chat to them all together.

No, I let my eat in front of the TV. Take it up to their rooms.

DD2 is now 12, but eating has always bored her ridged, watching her do anything, but eat and let nice food go cold is a torture. She eats exactly the same amount whether I watch and nag or leave her too it. The second option is way less stressful for all concerned.

We live in the sticks, lots of car journeys for chatting.

Oh, I cannot bear it. But that is because DS aged 8 still can't seem to get the hang of cutlery. And he constantly winges, "why do we use cutlery? Cutlery is stupid". It drives me mad.

Are anyone else's DC like this?

Theas18 is right, it will get better. Mine are 3.5 and almost 6, and they can do their own blowing, fetching dropped cutlery etc. And you can be stricter about sitting down till they've finished, or saying you'll get them x when you've finished! Generally enjoyable now.

Hang on in there - or have a snack with them to keep you going and eat later.

My sis's DS (4.6) eats at 6ish before he goes to bed. They eat around 8pm when he's asleep. They eat together as a family on Sunday afternoons, breakfast, the occasional evening meal.
There's no way they'd countenance eating with him every evening - aside from the obvious stresses and strains, her DH often isn't back in time. I plan to do similar with DD.
OP if you hate it that much don't do it! Do as BlueChampagne suggests and just have a snack with him.

With them, sorry.

Meeee! But then, mine are older too (4, 7 and 9). We catch up on their days, find out what's happening in school and so on. If I eat with just DH, he wants to talk to about what happened in my/his day at work and quite frankly, I have just got out of work and cannot be arsed.

Generally has started driving me insane. It's Ds2 - he's 2.5, so mealtimes can be tricky. DS1 is 6 and he's fine, as long as he doesn't start messing about with DS2. I do eat with them a lot and DH eats with us if he's working from home. And we eat all meals together at the weekend. By the time they've gone to sleep I am utterly starving, or have snacked loads, so I'd prefer to eat with them, and I do think it's a good/nice thing to do. However, lately I have been eating just after them whilst they watch TV or something. And I think at the weekends I'm going to make a separate meal for DH and I on one of the nights - I love cooking and I'm getting a bit tired of making the same old pasta, pies, soups etc.

I generally enjoy eating meals with my DS (2.8). But I have worked out that I need to tell him to wait sometimes.

I found myself jumping up and down to get him more drink or some extra cheese or more peas etc etc - now I tell him that he can have whatever it is but he needs to wait until I've had a chance to finish some of my food first. It usually works.

Yeah the whole 'you must eat with your kids' thing we still don't do that often as dd (2.5) thinks that she then gets to eat all my food. I hate gobbling down my food whilst having a small person on my lap...

By the time they've gone to sleep I am utterly starving, or have snacked loads,

Yes this is exactly it for me. I hate snacking all evening when all I really want is a proper main meal! When I've not eaten with them or resisted the snacks, I'm starving by about 7 and getting irritable and impatient with DD who goes to bed around 8.30pm.

Thankfully DH always eats with them, even if it's a snack as he's got a massive appetite and can always eat another full meal later on in the evening (exercises like crazy). I only eat in the evenings with the DCs Sun-Wed as I go out for Zumba thurs and fri and on Sat me and Dh eat later than the DCs usually. That's enough for me!

Theas18 yeah I think you are right. it should get better!

I can't bear it - I can't get a mouthful down. Do sit with them though (8 and 5) and have the chat, DP and I just don't eat when they do.

I actually enjoy eating with my DS7. I work full-time and so having at least one meal together each day is really important to me - it gives me time to catch up with him. I get all the stories (Child X at school has x number of stickers; child x bit someone today; I can't wait to go swimming; my best friend, this week, is X, etc). Spillage is fine - we keep kitchen towel on the table and he mops up his own. If he wants cutlery, he is allowed to excuse himself and get it. Certain foods are for cutlery (eg baked beans, spaghetti, etc) but sometimes he's allowed to use his fingers if we don't have company. He sometimes helps cook, he sets the table, and we try and manage conversation, even if it feels a bit tedious and child-centered.

I appreciate that I am enjoying a golden age - he's old enough to manage himself at the table, but young enough to still see this time with my husband and me as a positive experience. I dread the day he asks to take food up to his room (the answer will be 'no'), and certainly don't miss those days (a long time ago) when cutlery was a mystery and most food ended up on him or the table.

But, totally empathise with posters here who find it all exasperating. When I was a SAHM and had spent all day with him as a toddler, by the time dinner came around, I was desperate for a quiet meal and a glass of wine with some adult conversation. So kudos to anyone who makes it through a meal with a toddler without a cross word!

It'll get better OP, in about 20 years...........

I eat with them (age 1 & 4) & it can be a right pain in the arse.

If I eat after them though I feel like I spend the whole evening cooking & clearing up the kitchen, which is even more of a pain in the arse. I like having evenings.

I have found that I would rather stick pins in my eye than eat with my DCs. I just serve it up at the kitchen table then slink out of the room until they have finished.
just too painful to watch.

Mine are 2 and 4 and I too hate eating with them as my food just goes cold whilst I deal with their multitude of requests lol. I love going out to eat with hubbie and just enjoy uninterrupted munching

We eat together as a family every night. No I didn't enjoy it all the time when they where young, but now they are 19 and 21 I enjoy their company, more to the point I know that they don't eat like animals when they are guests at some one elses table.
How can you expect your childresn to gain skills, social and motor if your delegate the telly to parenting?

I don't, they're 6 + 4.

I eat with them once a week or so and it always ends up with me getting crippling IBS from the stress. Going out for a meal isn't so bad as they don't eat so fast and I don't have to cook so we do get a chance to talk.

We all eat together every night, if someone's not there at 6.30ish when we eat because of activities or work I plate it up for when they're back. No TV, radio phones etc when we're at the table.

There are six of us and it's a lovely chance to catch up on news or just chat. It's one of my favourite times of day.

I don't like watching other people eat, when I'm not; it makes me hungry and moody and I only want to cook one meal per day.

Ours are 15, 12, 11 and 9 but we've always eaten together. The dcs clear up after dinner while dh and me have coffee.

Rereading that I sound smug, but of course lots of people enjoy spending time with their children doing other things which are equally valid.

We always eat together at the weekend and on Wednesday when dh is home in time. Otherwise it's a bit haphazard - dh does on average 2 nights away a week, and then there's piano/violin/swimming/brownies/accordion/scouts/life etc getting in the way.

If not eating with the dc I sit with them and have a coffee and chat.

My dc are 13, 11, 9 and mealtimes are (mostly) fun and a chance to catch up.

We eat with ours mostly, they are 4 and 2.

It is becoming less stressful, on Saturday evenings we even have a bottle of wine with our dinner and can relax, lovely :)

Puckertoe - judgemental much!?
Not eating with Dc for whatever reason doesn't mean they can't develop social and motor skills!