We almost always sit at the table and eat together as a family for dinner. Lunch too, on the weekends. It’s pretty easy to arrange right now because the kids are young and their after-school activities are limited and don’t take a lot of time. If my husband is working late or out of town, the kids and I still eat at the table. We talk about what each of them did at school, and from there the conversation just goes wherever it goes. With two little boys there is the inevitable bathroom humor joke. They get one each, but a second one gets them sent to their rooms. I secretly look forward to finding out how they’ll try to sneak it into the table conversation. Sometimes we will have movie night, order pizza, and eat in the living room while we watch a DVD. Maybe once a month or so. It’s a huge deal to the kids!
My husband started a nice tradition with the kids. He asks each of them, “What was the worst part of your day, and what was the best part?” Besides all of us sitting and talking, the kids are expected to use good table manners. They also clear their own plates and help with the clean-up.
I don’t know what we’ll do when the kids are older and spend more time with sports or other activities after school. Schedules will become crazier, but my husband and I both already plan on making family dinners a priority. Neither of us grew up eating around the table with family except on special occasions. We grew up with TV trays in the living room, and don’t want to continue that.
It also makes us really, really appreciate the rare nights we go out to dinner without the kids. :)