I have always noticed that my kids eat much better if an adult is sitting down with them eating too....especially when it comes to trying new foods. Now that DD is nearly 15 I think my younger boys consider her almost an adult so often she will sit down with them and eat while I get the baths ready and clean the kitchen which is really handy. I also will often eat two small meals at dinner time... one with the kids at 6pm and then one with DH at 7pm when he gets home from work. I'm a grazer anyhow... I can't fit much in my tummy at one sitting... so this works really well.

If my younger two kids were to eat by themselves they would just be silly, get distracted and want to leave the table to seek out adult company and they would be a lot less likely to try new foods. That's just how my kids are though. One of the first things DH does when he gets home is to sit down with the kids at the table to keep them focussed while i heat up his dinner.... if he gets home in time.