eating together -is it a sort of bonding???

I grew up eating together with the family. The dining able was where we bonded and discussed what happened during our day and issues that were important to us. But that doesn't happen in my family after marriage. My in-laws eat together....but my husband used to eat alone whenever he returned from work. He prefers it that way and it has continued even when we are not living with my in-laws. Because of their dad, my kids also don't eat at the dining table at the same time. I tried to change this, but it hasn't worked. I've given up. I'm the only one who sits at the dining table and eats dinner at the same time everyday. The routine at my house notwithstanding, what you say is absolutely right.

i think eating together is a good thing. i eat at the table every meal by myself but i did pretty much when my children lived at home. they always wanted to eat where the tv was. now that they are grown w/their own families i know the youngest eats at the table w/his family think the other one still eats in font of the tv.

I feel very strongly about sharing meals, it's a basic element in bonding and sharing quality time with family and friends. Like you stated, it goes way back in history and nowadays we make little or no time for it. Could this be the solution to some of the trouble in our socity? I think so. Sharing more time together, including sitting down at the dinnertable and not rushing along in everyday chores, could help our familybonds grow stronger once again.

people are a lot busier now. unfortunately families today are not as close as they once were, but there's really no way to reverse this unless we drop something in our live, like extra curriculars, jobs, friends etc., and I doubt too many people will be willing to do that just to go home and eat with their families.

I think it is important to eat together at least one meal a day if everyone is off doing their own thing all day long. To find out how everyone is doing and what they have been up to. I think it shows kids that you care what is going on in their life and that they are important to you. My kids are still young so they are always with me right now but when they go off I always make sure to ask them what they did and if they had fun. We already eat all of our meals together. They love to help cook.

I grew up eating together and normally in dinner time, because my Mom is working and we go to school. My siblings and I used to help each other to prepared our meal and we used to talked about what happened on that day. I agree with you that eating or doing things together is a great bonding for the family.

in many families in the west people are not home at the same time, I late shift is 4pm to midnight, that means they would would have to eat about 2 or so for the person to be able to go to work, kids are not home from school at that time, sometimes both parents work and one during the day and one during the night.

this is a good idea but now a days also, the parents are all busy working that they don't have time to even cook food. they just buy food outside and eat when they arrived home and usually they arrive home late that the kids are already sleeping. Bonding time is really hard when the parents will not set a good quality time and sometimes to sacrifice their work schedule just to be with their family.

i never grew up eating together.. which is kind of funny because my family is more loving and functional than a family i know that does eat together that hate and fight all the time lol.. i think it can be a good thing but it seems like now a days its not always possible with everyone being on different schedules.. but i think it would be a good thing for families to at least try to do it once a week or something..

Hello riyasam, I think eating together is really a bonding for the family. That is the time you can have each other share their stories or experiences that day or that week. You can just have a good conversation and a good laugh. Sometimes, eating is the best way to keep the family together, and updated of one's life. have fun

I agree. Eating together at the table is like a must for me and for my family daily. Once in a while, some of the family members will go out have dinner with friends but most of the time we will eat together.

Hello friend, I do believe it is a nice way for the family to spend some time together. These days all of us are so busy with our work and we all have different schedules. Still, we make it a point to have our dinner together and talk to each other about how our day was,etc.

I think it is nice now if the family can get together at the weekend to all sit down at the table and have a meal together. It used to be that most people had a 9 till 5 job so could all be home about the same time. That is not the case nowadays. Mind you if you do the grocery shopping by the week, then in your head you do plan the weeks menu and then add the word roughly so that you can change the meal to another day if say the weather is bad and you need something hot that day and cold the next. I definately agree with children helping to cook the meals though as they do love it and they grow up to know how to cook a meal without even knowing they have been taught.

perhaps because people will tell stories while they eat

i think that eating a main meal together is important to bond as a family and all four of us assist in making dinner (my hubby is the main cook in the house). we like to sit and eat and talk about the day we had.

I knew a family that posted the meals of the week on Sunday so they knew what they were having - I think my mom had an idea of what she was making each day, but it was never told to me how she did it - probably why I'm not so organized - of course, I also don't have a family, just the roomies and the cats

When I was growing up, we always sat down to the evening meal as a family. We didn't have a tv, so that was not something we had to contend with at meal times. When I got married, I carried on with that "tradition" of having dinner as a family. This was the time that we would talk and everybody could tell about their day. My kids' friends always thought it was cool that we sat at the table to eat. The tv was turned off during that time, and we talked to each other. Yes, our lives were busy with both parents working, and the kids participating in school activities and such, but I always made sure that we all had dinner together. Even if I stopped on the way home and picked up a prepared meal, we had that meal together, as a family. Personally, I think that is part of the problem with a lot of families today. Everybody is going in different directions, and parents don't know where their kids are. Trying to get everyone at the same place at the same time seems to be too much of a hassle, I guess. Even with the kids grown, now, we make a point to have all of us around the table for dinner at least once a month, just so we can catch up with each other.

Hello my friend riyasam Ji, This is a wonderful idea, apart from what you wrote, after my marriage, when I joined my hubby's family, there were more tahn 15 members, and my husband introduced at least 'Dinner at 9 PM' together. he explained that, firstly, next day's programme could be discussed/fixed and whole family will be aware, next youngsters would learn table manners eating manners and eating together. We could discuss their schooling issues in details. Lastly, but never the least, total food would be shared among all, without leaving anything in Refrigerator. Also no on ewill feel short, as customary, in our families, ladies become last. It is ver good idea. Please intimate from Day-1 May God bless You and have a great time.[em]thumbup[/em

Yes you are right. Till very recent time eating together was a sort of custom here in India too. Bit as you have said as people have different time table for departure for the destined places so the eating time to varied and members too got divided. i do not think that all people should be involved in cooking for you know the saying so many cooks spoil the broth. We can set free the children but the grown ups could take part. But even if all these are not possible dining together should be made a compulsion for this is an undermined bond that keeps the family members in a single thread. Nice topic friend.

at home, my parents particularly my mother wont allow any of her children to be excuse in dinner or lunch.. we all eat dinner together. dinner time is the only time the family can bond and have a talk. so no matter how sleepy we are that night we get up, go down and sit at the dinners table and enjoy meal with my family. and thats one thing that i missed at home now thati work on night shifts.. sometimes, when the dinner was served early, i joined them. even though i know i will be late for my shift that night i still want to eat with them coz at office i tend to eat alone during lunch break. eating together should be practice by other family so they can have bonding moments with other family member and to also catch up to whts latest event happening in your family. it also promotes close family ties. and close family ties results in childrens good social behaviors. happy mylotting!