Should families eat dinner together?

Are you a believer in "the family table?"

Yes, and breakfast too...we did that for several years and had some good times and good discussions together.

Yes it should be. In this home it is not. I despise that our schedules do not provide for that. We don't know when the man of the house will be home. So, do we sit in waiting, hungry? Nope.

In my next life, I will have a traditional family unit that eats together.

It's a nice concept but in today's world, with both parents working, isn't always convenient or realistic. When my daughter is here, we used to eat in the same vicinity; but more and more we go our separate ways at meal time. She likes to watch TV and eat (and admittedly, so do I.)

growin up we always had dinner together, well at least sun thru thurs.. but as each sibling left the nest, it wasnt the same.

I much, much prefer to eat at a table when I eat with my family; it reminds me of back when I was a kid. Plus, in my apartment, I eat food off of a plate on my lap all the time, and it's nice to have something to put your elbows up on while you're eating.

Yes, absolutely. Family time is underrated.

We made it in our family to dine together as much as possible. My wife and I still do. We spend the majority of the time away from each other so we do use that time to talk and share things as we enjoy our meal.

We were not rigid about it though. We were flexible when situations got on the way but the norm was to have dinner together.

You have a great day.
Friendly Veteran

Yes they should. I disagree that it is unrealistic. If your family cannot even find time to eat a meal together, than that is proof positive enough right there for me that your family is overscheduled.

Yes, whenever possible, everyone should be at the table. With the TV off (eyeballs Chris )

alan smithee wrote:Yes, whenever possible, everyone should be at the table. With the TV off (eyeballs Chris )

It's true, I can't argue. Last month my daughter was over for the weekend and we did actually eat at the table, but only because that's where I sat her plate. Had she served herself, she would have taken it to the den or to her bedroom. But we're very informal, so when she was done, do you think she asked if she could be excused? No. She got up, put her plate in the sink and left me there to finish the conversation by myself. Teenagers.

Chris wrote:

alan smithee wrote:Yes, whenever possible, everyone should be at the table. With the TV off (eyeballs Chris )

It's true, I can't argue. Last month my daughter was over for the weekend and we did actually eat at the table, but only because that's where I sat her plate. Had she served herself, she would have taken it to the den or to her bedroom. But we're very informal, so when she was done, do you think she asked if she could be excused? No. She got up, put her plate in the sink and left me there to finish the conversation by myself. Teenagers.

Duct tape, my friend. Duct tape.

Yes its a great time to share your day and spend time together.

It's a nice tradition. We hardly ever did it, but I would like to do it with my family when I get one.

I think so. I think the main reason families don't nowadays is because many aren't home at the same time. Like RB said, if I'm ready to eat and my BF isn't there, then I'm going to eat and he can fix his own plate when he gets home.

I definitely think families should eat together. I ate dinner with my family every night up until I was in my late teens and even after that still we always had Sunday dinner together for a long while.