Does Your Family Eat Dinner Together? (page 2)

Lady Lee

That makes just one less person to fight over the leftovers

That means all the homemade bread is mine mine mine!!!!

Just about everynight unless really odd circumstances we sit down and eat together, no radio, no TV. I have read articles like this before and really believe in the concept. Questions get asked about school, how things are going etc. I really feel like it makes us bond as a family and there is something about breaking bread together that lends itself to open free communication, probably goes back to our caveman roots.

Billygoat

Big Dog,

I agree - I think it's a healthy thing to do in most circumstances. For me while growing up, eating dinner together was a very stressful event. My parents always hounded me on what I wasn't doing, what I wasn't being...they spent a lot of time arguing. It was basically the time to be critical of one another and duke it out. My husband on the other hand grew up in a household where that was the one time during the day where criticizing wasn't allowed. You could share your heart and mind and not worry about getting in trouble for it. Thus it opened up the kids to share what they needed to mom and dad. Thus, to this day, all three kids in his family are very close to their parents. (My hubby comes from one of those families that I always envied growing up!) It's the type of atmosphere I hope to give my child someday.

Realizing I might step on some toes here...

I think too many people think the "uncomfortableness" or "boringness" of eating dinner together, could be doing themselves and their families a disservice. If it's uncomfortable, get over it. Good things aren't always comfortable. But they become comfortable in time with practice. If it's boring, perhaps it's because the common ground isn't established to become interesting. How is that fixed by continuing to not talk? This is purely my opinion and...

...just food for thought...

Andi *ducking*

Big Dog

Andi,

It is just such a natural time for you all to be together, I mean, it would be odd at say 8 o'clock to say, okay, let's all sit down and have a chat. When you have kids I highly recommend it, and I agree, it needs to be peaceful, no fighting, etc., just a time to talk. My parents were always very adament about it, that for however long it took us to eat we were going to talk together as a family, probably the only thing that allowed us to work through my rebelling against the borg yet remain on speaking terms.

lonelysheep

Yes, I make it a point to eat w/my kids. They are little now, but I'll try to keep doing so as they grow.

Kaylen

We always do but the TV is always on

Momofmany

We eat together every night. Some times I fix the plates, some times I put bowls on the table. The kids all wait until I sit down, and then we eat. Even if we have things planned, we will eat later, just so we can all eat together. No TV, but some times I will have music playing in the backround.

jt stumbler

Yes, its a must in our house.

Scully

I think too many people think the "uncomfortableness" or "boringness" of eating dinner together, could be doing themselves and their families a disservice. If it's uncomfortable, get over it. Good things aren't always comfortable. But they become comfortable in time with practice. If it's boring, perhaps it's because the common ground isn't established to become interesting. How is that fixed by continuing to not talk?

When Mr Scully and I first got married we had nice IKEA table that was comfortable for seating 4 adults. It was very serviceable even when we had 3 small children. Unfortunately, as the children grew (as they are apt to do) the table wasn't comfortable for all of us to sit together for meals, and we got out of the habit of eating together. It was something that we ALL missed because we never got a chance to all of us sit down and discuss the day and upcoming plans and try to make some arrangements so we could accommodate everyone's wishes - and that was very stressful, even moreso than having a sit-down dinner every night.

About a year ago, we decided it was time to upgrade the table. The new one seats 6-8 comfortably and has an extension feature that we can use when we have a big group of 10 or even 12. At first, it was awkward starting conversations again, but we started playing board games and cards with the kids after dinner a couple of nights a week and that made a huge difference in everyone's comfort level and was a kind of conversation starter for those awkward moments.

That table and my crockpot were the best investments we've ever made in our family's well-being.

Shania

We always eat dinner together, it is the best part of the day for our family. My husband and myself were raised with family dinners every night at 5pm sharp, filled with laughing and telling stories of the days events, then came the dishes (NO DISHWASHER FOR US), but it really set a way with us both, our family loves to sit down at 5pm..(kept that time) and enjoy being together...........Oh yeah there was always the BIG SUNDAY DINNER AFTER CHURCH...............until the witnesses came along and ruined that.............then it was no breakfast, meetings, then service with a quick drive thru to McDs...............thats how our sunday was after 1975

Does Your Family Eat Dinner Together?

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