Goomba38 wrote:
> Jude wrote:
>
> > We have dinner together as a family - me, my BF, and our 9 year old
> > daughter - most nights. House rule is that dinnertime is in the kitchen
> > (don't have a dining room) at the table. Sometimes we have music on but
> > not too loud - I was raised on the belief that 30 minutes of
> > socializing at the dinner table was an importtant family activity. No
> > gulping down your food in 3 bites and getting up; we all had to be at
> > the table for half an hour, eat slowly with good manners, and have a
> > chance to talk about our days together.
>
> This is how I was raised also. And NO TV on!!! That is the death to
> conversation. I worry that kids nowadays aren't getting very much of
> this family dinner time and what they're losing down the road?
> Goomba

I agree completely. I think there are some far-reaching social
implications when your children eat dinner in front of the TV every
night, whether it's in the kitchen or the living rooms. It would make
an interesting sociological study. I'm sure it affects kids abilities
for small talk as well as family bonding, etc.

One more clause - Mom made it firm and fast that we WOULD manage dinner
together. Sometimes dinnertime had to be flexed for drama club
rehearsal, lacrosse practive, art class, or choir (there were 3 of us
kids) but we all knew that dinner would be worked around our
committments, so we darn well better make it home in time.

People now seem to use soccer practice, gymnastics,etc, as an excuse to
feed their kids fast-food crap during the week. Somehow we managed to
get to our activites and still e at dinner at home, real food even!