How do you eat dinner?

[peanutter]

How do you and your family eat dinner?

One loved one is an "at the table" kinda guy, and he and his family sit down at the table for all meals (and morning and afternoon tea, if not playing outside). He even has breakfast at the table and reads the paper before heading off to work.

A friend is the diametric opposite - the dining table is used for homework and storing things a lot, and the family generally eats on the couch.

We are somewhere in the middle - the DSs eat brekky and snacks at their little table, other meals are generally at the dining table all together, we picnic outside periodically when the weather allows, and if I'm late home I'll often not bother eating at the table - I'll have it at the coffee table or in front of the TV, depending on what DH and I are doing while I eat. Snacks are at the table or outside.

What does your family do?

[beansbeans!]

Brekky is at the dining table for the kids. I will eat my brekky on the go so usually carry it around with me while I'm getting the kids ready for the day. Lunch is varied, outside picnic style, at the dining table or on the floor in the loungeroom. Dinner is usually at the dining table as a family, unless we are having an adults dinner then ours is usually on the lounge. If we bbq then we eat outside.
Snacks etc are usually outside or on the floor in the toy room.

[Amity]

All meals at the dining table. We only eat there. Usually as a family.

If it's warm we eat outside on the table. Always on the table.

Research shows that when families eat together, they relate better and are less likely to get in trouble as they get older

[~me~]

Morning - kids have breakfast at our bench while I or DH their get lunches ready for school. We sometimes will have our breakfast on the run.

Lunch kids at school or again at our bench (it's quite the meeting spot our bench).

Dinner - Kids eat earlier than us, so again at the bench while we chat to them about their day and we will often eat later at the bench.

Our house design is open plan so our 'bench' is a very central meeing spot and our dinner table is more of a formal eating area.

We may not eat all at the same time, we are together when we eat.

Our main strict rule is no TV or screens during meal times.

[wysiwyg]

We have one table - so I suppose is a dining table - it is used for everything though. We nearly always eat there - occasionally sat on balcony but mainly there (TV always off).

Work days - (4 days a week)

Breakfast - I eat mine on the go (which often involves children stealing the odd spoonful, children have theirs at daycare/before school care) - I would love to sit down for breakfast altogether but have to leave the house by 7:10 and I am not willing to wake the children any earlier.

Lunch - Daycare or School - or work for me - I take my main meal of the day with me and eat it there (DH does the same)

Tea - We all sit down at the table - even if DH and I are not eating yet (we both prefer to eat main meal at lunch time) we still sit down at the table with the kids (but when DH and I snack later won't be at the table generally)

Non-work days/weekends

Breakfast - Sit down together for breakfast

Lunch - If eating at home we will all be sat together at table, often we will be out so either will be a snack/picnic lunch somewhere or a sit-down meal.

Tea - Sit down together at table

(We haven't actually got enough couch space for the four of us to sit on - so eating on the couch wouldn't work :-)).

[~TT40~]

Breakfast and lunch for Spock are at her little table. Me on the couch next to her. Tea (evening meal) is at our dining table most of the time... We are aiming for all to be there, but someone (me =p) continues to use it as a dumping ground...I'm getting better but some days it is just impossible to see it let alone clear it for a meal... It's only a small round 4 person table too, so not much space (no room for a bigger one either)

[trishalishous]

99% of the time they are all at the table.
Occasionally popcorn on the couch, or an icypole outside.
My kids are messy

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

All meals at a table, dining table, outdoor table or a picnic, but table rules and manners. Once every couple of months, we may do take out pizza in front of a film/documentary. But that's not the norm. This has been the case since DH and I got our own place, and continued when Liebs was small, and will continue when Stormageddon's here too.

Also, no distractions at the table. No electronics, no books, no magazines, no airfix kits. Just conversation. And yes, that is a bit of a grinding stone for my axe. I see children who never (and I mean never) get that and boy do they have problems in most cases.

[Teeki]

We are exactly the same as TT40. The kids eat breakfast and lunch at their little table, DD insists on it. That table only has two chairs so I put it at the couch and I can sit with them. If it's a weekend though, DH is home and we sit at the dining table instead. Dinner is always everyone at the dining table.

So I guess our meals are always eaten together, just the size of the table changes lol.

[feeb]

All meals are eaten at the dining table, together most of the time where possible. Snacks are generally eaten at dining table also, occasionally can have some biscuits or popcorn while watching something. Drinks are left on table at all times.

Occasionally if DH and I are eating much later than kids we will eat on couch but very rare. Pre kids we generally ate on couch but once DS1 started solids have moved to the table.

[Artechim]

Dinner is always at the table, except when we have pizza movie night when we are in the lounge. Breakfast is at the table on school days but if they ask they can have it at the couch in the weekends. Lunch and snacks are usually in the lounge.

[Kazzo]

Breakfast and lunch are either at the table or at the bench in the kitchen.

Dinner is always at the table, either inside or outside. We do have picnics sometimes on the trampoline. I believe this time is very important. I did not grow up with a family that ate at the table or together for that matter and although we get on I would not say we are close.

Snacks always depend on what it is as to where the kids can eat them.

If I am not eating at the same time as the kids I still always sit and chat with them. I hate when my dining table has things put on it. My kids know that if the colour in are play a game at the table they have to pack it away.

[MamaK]

Breakfast, lunch & snacks are at the breakfast bar. Dinners are always at the dining room table.

Everyone must be sitting down when eating. No eating on the couch or in the bedrooms, no walking around while eating (unless it's a snack and you're outside).

I started this when DS was young and I've just kept it going.

[Joeve]

Oh we are not good at this. We all eat in the lounge room in front of the TV
Our house is so much smaller than the last one, our dining table is too big for the dining room so it's too awkward in there.
I want to go back to sitting at the table like we used to....

[~Hestia~]

We sit at the table for breakfast and dinner, all eat together. My DH is a shift worker and on the odd occasion I might eat in front of the telly with dinner on my lap.

[Astrolady]

We all eat together but generally in the lounge room. The kitchen table is the home to all Andrew's stuff laptop etc. It's just too hard to move it every bloody night. I used too. If we go out however to someone's house for tea/lunch say for example my Mum's, then the kids automatically just sit at the table. Probably cause there is no crap on it hahaha.

[peanutter]

Research shows that when families eat together, they relate better and are less likely to get in trouble as they get older

This is something that inspires me, and which I've read before with similar types of studies (more likely to share when something is wrong, more confident in sharing feelings and discussing beliefs, more comfortable sharing when something is worrying / upsetting / confusing them, etc).

And some of my most "family" memories are from when I was sitting around the dinner table with my family. that's something I want to emulate and replicate with my family.

I need to get home in time for dinner more often.

[~TT40~]

Growing up we always sat together at the table, even as babies mum and dad sat us at the table, even if we were too little to eat. Im extremely close to my parents and brothers, even after dark angst terrible teenage years (each of us with seperate battles) we always came home to the family table at the end and pulled through together.
Absolutely a priority for me to replicate that with my children