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Home With Aneta Alaei

Eating at the Dining Room Table

eating at the dining room table
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Does your family eat at the dining room table? We used to all the time but over the years the table became more like a dumping ground for art supplies and homework and less like a place where we could fit six people and have a nice meal.

Meals would be plated at the stove or counter and the family would just disperse to corners of the house where there was a device to be watched. Honestly, this didn’t even bother me because I could catch up on emails or clean the kitchen while everyone ate and NOBODY complained.

After dinner, we either tackled homework or extracurriculars so this quiet alone time was really appreciated. Like the calm before the storm and it was a seemingly good transition time for the kids to be in from the craziness of school to the craziness of home.

But.

There always has to be a but right?

Then I cleaned off the table for Thanksgiving and we finally had this big space where we can sit together and connect after a day apart.

I found out that the kids all wanted to chip in getting the table set so I was no longer in a rush trying to get food plated for everyone. This was also the perfect opportunity for us to talk about table settings and where everything should be. We are not all fancy pants over here with a salad fork and such but we will learn as we go.

Like the calm before the storm and it was a seemingly good transition time for the kids to be in from the craziness of school to the craziness of home.

Full disclosure trying to get the kids to sit at the dining room table and away from technology was not exactly easy. Not so much that they wanted the tech, they didn’t, but the moment they were told they couldn’t go somewhere else, anywhere else sounded a million times better. I think it will be a few weeks still before I can get our youngest to stay in his seat for the whole meal.

Most importantly though I found this to be a great way to find out what was happening in everyone’s lives that day. I forgot how important it was and now that all four kids are at school during the day it’s so nice for them to have a non-judgemental place to tell us what is going on. They let us know not only what is happening in their lives but also what is happening in their school community and we are watching 4 very different opinions emerge on some pretty awesome topics.

Gosh, we even got a cliff notes (kids) version of the political parties and who the kids would vote for thanks to their research and their peer’s presentations. It is nice to see them so involved in current events and so, so, so excited to share with us.

A key part of kickstarting that quality family time has to be the table itself. As kids grow older, it might be time to look into getting a new one for the dining room so everyone has enough room and it feels like somewhere for the whole family. A solid wood table is a great option that looks classy, wipes down expertly, and brings together that homely feel all dining rooms should have.

Even though we stopped eating at the dining room table over the past year I can proudly say that you can now find us there breakfast, lunch and dinner. Because mealtime is family time and I always want them to know there is a place at the table for them, especially now that they are growing up.

Do you eat at the table or are you a fan of the kitchen island or coffee table?

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Aneta Alaei
Aneta Alaei

Aneta is a Toronto-based mom of four that loves a good meal, great company, and learning something new. In her free time, you can find her trying to keep yet another plant alive.

Find me on: Web | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

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20 Comments

  1. Elizabeth Matthiesen
    October 17, 2019 / 11:35 am

    When the kids lived at home we always ate at the dining room table, pots of food and everyone served themselves. Now that I’m alone I usually just eat in front of the TV in my living-room.

  2. Jeanine
    October 18, 2019 / 1:26 pm

    We eat every night at the dining room table as a family. It’s the one time after school and on weekends we put everything away, and just connect as a fam. It’s my favourite time of day.

  3. Angela
    October 20, 2019 / 12:16 pm

    I eat anywhere I want

  4. AD
    October 22, 2019 / 6:44 pm

    Every dinner is eaten at the dining room table; breakfasts and lunches are always served in the kitchen and sometimes on the god. The dinning room table tradition was started a long time along with my grandparents, taught us proper behavior which also transitioned into how to conduct oneself while eating out or at other people’s homes. I enjoy it. Its not stuffy, but we do special dinners for special occasions.

  5. kristen visser
    October 23, 2019 / 10:16 am

    we definitely enjoy eating at the dining room table but depending on how late my husband comes home, the girls sometimes eat dinner at the kitchen island because they eat earlier than when my husband comes home. but when we are all home together for dinner , like on the weekends, we sit at the table

  6. mrdisco
    October 23, 2019 / 8:27 pm

    that’s a nice looking table

  7. nicolthepickle (Nicole Graham)
    November 28, 2019 / 7:32 am

    We eat at the table for every meal. I think it’s important for families to connect over food.

  8. Debbie White-Beattie
    November 30, 2019 / 1:41 am

    I didn’t usually have dinner at the table but when we did we would talk up a storm

  9. kathy downey
    November 30, 2019 / 8:55 am

    I love sitting at the table to enjoy a meal with the family at the end of the day! Great time to get the news of the day !

  10. Victoria Ess
    December 2, 2019 / 6:34 am

    I’m a big fan of eating at the dining room table but admittedly we don’t do that often enough.

  11. Shirley P
    December 4, 2019 / 4:12 am

    Table meals are awesome for family time

  12. mrdisco
    December 11, 2019 / 7:57 pm

    the dining table is the cneterpoint for us

  13. JoKing
    December 12, 2019 / 9:26 am

    I only eat at the dining room table when I have company!

  14. Nate
    December 23, 2019 / 11:11 pm

    We try to eat at the table as much as possible

  15. Janet M
    December 3, 2020 / 4:54 pm

    I agree it is important for the family to eat together every night.

  16. LisaM
    October 24, 2021 / 1:27 pm

    It’s important I think to have times to connect as a family!

  17. jan
    November 12, 2021 / 5:16 pm

    we always eat at the dinner table and there are no devices allowed. it wasn’t really a planned thing, just how we do it.

  18. Kristin Ashe
    November 26, 2021 / 8:26 am

    We try to eat at the table together, but schedules don’t always meet up. Plus, kids are hungry right after school, so they eat then and are not always hungry at dinner time.

  19. Denise M
    November 30, 2021 / 11:42 pm

    I never really thought about eating at the dining room table. Thanks for the write-up. It certainly does make me feel like I should use that space more often than we do.

  20. Kathy downey
    November 28, 2022 / 7:18 am

    It’s just hubby and I now. The kids have all left the nest. Honestly I eat most my meals at the computer desk although sometimes we do set the table.