Discussion

Main Board| Accommodation Wanted| Accommodation Offered
Start a new discussion on this board

Let your next career move come to you.

How often do you sit down as a family for a meal?*

I’m told it’s dying out with people eating in front of the tv instead but we do it every evening and also at lunch when kids aren’t at school. Eating in front of the TV is a once-a-week treat.

Are we unusual (I suspect not on Rof at least).

*apologies to anyone without a family who may feel excluded.

Exactly like you Jim but the once-a-week treat (for my daughter at least!) is to be allowed to take food up to her bedroom. Otherwise, it’s old school for us as well

The kids never ever eat anywhere other than at a table if they are at home.  If we are in the house together at meal times we eat together.  My son has a balcony off his bedroom and if he has friends over they might eat up there but even then that is at a table (a table he specifically requested for his last birthday). 

Mrs Donny sometimes eats on the sofa in front of the telly if she is eating alone late (I very rarely do because I just don't like it. If I do it's probably because I am eating pizza watching sport). 

 

4 or 5 times a week

I am only missing family dinner with a good reason (e.g. united are playing, I'm out on a social or I am at a work event which is good for the bank balance) 

I usually work late into the night but it would need a good reason for me not to spend dinner with my family 

Best time of the day 

Yes pretty similar actually- meals are together on the table in the evening, and on weekends/half term etc when we’re home together. Eldest son is allowed very occasionally to take dinner up to his room, and I might have the odd night eating dinner in front of the tv if I’ve worked late (thankfully pretty rare now). Oh and mobile phones are strictly not allowed at the table.

No kids but we have dinner (at the table) 5 nights a week. I go out with the guys from work one night (Mrs C sees friends) and generally one other night one (or both) of us is out at something. 

Even when alone I tend to eat at the table. Never been a fan of TV dinners but we do have a telly in the kitchen now so I put that on if alone. 

Always at the table. Almost. 

 

Mrs On Post was away this weekend and in response to popular request+ my unwillingness to wash up we went to Maccas and got two chicken nugget happy meals. These were consumed on the floor in front of the TV (the land before time), which has earned me hero dad status. 

Kids 13 and 11. Eat together every night unless we’re out. Watch TV together after dinner, something adult/teen friendly. Kids don’t tend to spend much time in their rooms. 

With my parents we'll always eat at the table for lunch and dinner although have the news on the TV at lunchtime and might have the TV on in the evening if there's something particularly good on at that time.  When it's just me in London tend to end up sitting on the sofa with my plate watching the box.

Eat every meal at home together at dining table. If there is afternoon tea, at dining table. No food allowed in bedrooms at any time. Very occasionally if there is an apéro before dinner, adults can eat it on couch. Children sit at table in general. 

Interesting Scylla, I am the opposite, crisps or maybe cheese and crackers on the sofa, but anything more substantial is just better eaten at the table. 

We always eat together at the kitchen table. I don't have a dining room, that feels like such a weird old person thing to me now.

Well there is only me. No family unless you include the cats.  So d

I feel  really uncomfortable unless I am able to elevate my feet of the ground. 

Every sofa, chair etc in my house /office has a footstool or an ottoman for this exact reason. 

Something about sitting in a chair with my feet on the ground makes my skin crawl. 

it is encouraging and to me a little suprising that so many sit around a family meal every day, but perhaps the self selecting nature of response skews it?  Can we hear from the parents that give their kids chicken nuggets in front of the telly at 5pm?

I can't imagine being arsed to have and enforce rules, that would suck. I wonder how many households eat together because they all want to. That's surely the point.

May I come down from the table, Sir? I need... Silence, daughter. You do spurn the Lord's bounty. Finish your gristle. Sobbing and retching she swallows down the last piece of ox lung stew. Takeaway at Mum's tomorrow.

Clergs, this thread is about facebook family life not real family life, no doubt the kids are all super happy to be chatting to their parents over supper recounting their day 

We eat at the table every meal - breakfast, lunch, tea / dinner

Exceptions to this would be a couple of times a year - usually for a sporting event that has to be seen in the moment. 

Its not about rules.  There are enough digital distractions that its important to make time to sit / talk.  Fine if you want to sit in front of the tv and ignore people.  But learning to be social / sociable is a part of life - and children won't learn this without being exposed to it. 

Humm I think 3-4 times but that's because to manage time with teenager and entice interest for sufficiently long time is becoming harder. As a sole parent and a firm believer in home made food (rather than take-aways) we do indulge more time in cooking the food together. 

Saturdays are an exception. 

I find it strange that people don't. We always did as children, and my wider family does too. Even at home, though it's just the two of us, we always set the table properly with a tablecloth, and candles in the darker months. Tbh I even do it when it's just me on my tod, which is a bit daft! 

Tables are basically better in all respects. I don't want to try and balance things on my lap, and a tray feels a bit nursing home. Also not keen on the smell of food in the lounge.

Every day for dinner (evening meal, however you describe it).

Usually at 6.30, but can vary depending on what activities are on that night. 

I don't think we have ever had a meal in front of the telly. Just not geared that way. And we don't have a telly in the kitchen/ diner. 

Lunch at weekends is normally a sandwich, which we will usually each make at different times, depending on who is doing what, or if Shootette is trying to create some wierd seaweed wrap japanese sushi sandwich creation.

My parents, by contrast, had dinner on a tray in front of the box most nights in their old house. This was in a room called "The snug". My dad hated it: they had a larger, nicer room he preferred, which had nicer sofas, nicer decor, bigger telly, but my mum didn't lke the room, so they didn't use it. Dad was quite sad about not. they've downsized now. I don't know if they eat at the table now or not. I suspect not. Haven't asked. 

We eat at the table as said, it's nit as idyllic as guy sarcastically suggested. Fair amount of nagging re elbows on table, leave the dogs alone, don't use your fingers etc etc and that's just my wife to me.....

Join the discussion

Login Register