Mealtimes with your teen

[BuzzLightbulb]

Mixed blessing here I think.

She doesn't often join us for dinner, which on her bad days can be a relief as she just uses it as a battlefield with her siblings.

There are other days like last night when I've spent a good cpl of hours shopping and cooking so the kids have a nice meal to sit down to.

Twenty minutes before dinners ready she announces b/friend is coming over and she's not eating.

Ten o clock comes round and she's hungry, where's her dinner? Usual polite 16 yr old!

I would have said there's the toaster, knock yourself out, but mum is a softer touch.

Do you/would you draw a line and say dinner is when dinner is, miss it and you're on your ?

i would insist on everyone sitting down to eat at the same time. mine is 14 and a boy so ever eager for his meals so i don understand it's easier!

i would say no guests at mealtimes unless they are eating with us and everyone eats together.

I would do the same, but mums a little more flexible. Just glad she eats really.

I find it errr impolite to have someone cook a meal for you and refuse it, only to microwave it later. I'm not running a restsurant!

We often eat at separate times due to DHs erratic hours and the DCs activities, so a a meal is cooked every night, but may be eaten in shifts.

However, the rules are:

-friends not allowed at meal times unless pre-arranged / invited / eating with us etc
-the majority eat at the table together, those who have to eat at different times are allowed it on a tray if they want
-if they are genuinely not hungry or don't particularly like it then they can have beans on toast / jacket potato when they are hungry, but they have to sort it themselves.

It's rarely an issue as our resident teen is a boy and like gymboy he is always ready to eat.

Dinner is dinner! I wouldn't dream of cooking different meals.
If bf is round (dd is16 too) then I'll offer him dinner if there's enough, or tell him we are eating at x time, sorry would have made more if known.
Not got a prob with kids being out at dinner time, but the meal is made and that's what they're having regardless of what time they eat.

My DH works shifts and DD1 goes to dancing class a couple of times a week so we rarely all sit down together during the week.

I cook one meal for everyone, if people are not around at dinner time then it gets put on a plate to heat up later.

My dd's are 14 and 12, no boyfriends yet but friends often call over and if there is enough will always offer them some.