Does eating demand your full attention like driving? (meal, teenagers, divorce)

[IBadget]

When I was growing up, my father had a policy of turning off the TV at the start of a family meal. He explained that when the TV is on, you tend to watch it instead of eating like you're supposed to. He thus gave me the impression that eating demands your full attention.

IMHO eating doesn't demand your full attention. I can listen to music and eat at the same time. The music is in the background and therefore doesn't distract me from eating. I know driving demands your full attention, e.g., you'll have an accident if you watch TV while driving. However, I don't think you'll have an eating accident if you have the TV on during dinner time.

What do you think.

[beanandpumpkin]

We turn off the TV during dinner so that we can focus on each other, as a family, not so that we can focus on eating. I will say that in my experience, though, young children do get distracted by the TV and stop eating if it's not M&Ms or popcorn or something yummy like that.

[hutch5]

TV during meals is a distraction.

I certainly notice that in the few occasion we decide to treat the children and we watch a movie while eating, nobody makes any comment on the food they´re eating and I can even manage to get my son to eat things he does not like!!!

A meal together is often the only time a family has (at least during week days)to talk, share opinions and experiences and if they have the TV in the background or even as the "main guest" at the table all that precious time together is lost.

We very rarely have the TV on and really enjoy the time spent together around the table.

If one is alone is a different matter. I often watch the lunch time news as I am eating on my own but it is a totally different dynamic

[Rathagos]

My response is very similar to BeanandPumpkin's response. My wife and I like to turn the TV off so that we can talk at dinner. We go around the table asking the kids (I have 3... well 4 but one's away in college) how their day was, etc.

After my divorce four years ago, my son (16 now) and daughter (15 now) originally moved in with their mom. Two years ago my son came back to live with me, and last year, my daughter moved back. Both of them said the same thing. While here, they liked that we sat down to dinner (with me, their step mom, and step sister) and talked... that dinner was a special time because we get to interact and talk. We (my wife and I) did it because we thought it was important... we never realized how important it was to the kids, too.

[drjones96]

We usually leave the TV on in the living room unless the kids get too distracted by it and then we'll turn it off or mute it. And if it's something we want to watch we'll pause it (DVR).

[Nelly Nomad]

Well, I'm going to have to go against the grain on this one. I see nothing wrong with having the TV on during meals.

That being said, let me give you a bit of background on our family. We are a family of three. Mom (me) stays home, Dad's job has him away from home 4-5 days a week. We can and do interact at any time during the times we are together. It has been like this since Son was a baby (he's a teen now and soon will be heading off to college).

Son and I eat together often, Dad does when he's available. Because Son and I spend so much time together, mealtimes aren't sacred. Ours is a very small and casual family so we don't need to wait until mealtime to talk to one another. TV isn't a distraction; to the contrary TV often gives us topics to debate, and debate we do! Many a lively discussion has been sparked by something we've seen on TV.

I know some folks are like deer in the headlights whenever they are around a TV. They become mesmerized. Not so with us. No meal has ever gone unfinished because of TV in our home. Heh my waistline is a testament to that! I also realize that our family configuration plays a part in our ability to have the TV on during meals. If we had a larger or more scattered family (where we never saw each other except during mealtimes) perhaps our view would be different.

Of course, when we have guests, that often changes. But our closest friends are just like us, so we eat, chat and watch all together. And we love it!

[ADVentive]

I let my daughter watch TV during breakfast, but we turn it off during dinner to have a family dinner. So I guess we do both. During breakfast, I do often find that she is just sitting there watching and not eating, and I will say to her that if she can't focus on eating while watching TV then I will have to turn the TV off. I will pause it while I say that. Then she re-focuses and starts eating again. I can see why it might be a problem for some kids to be able to do both things at once though.

[mimimomx3]

I don't know if the TV is a distraction from EATING, but it's a distraction from the people you're eating with. Eating is a time for enjoying your food and your company, not the TV, at least in my house.

[lolagranola]

We don't have a tv upstairs (where the kitchen/dining are located) so mostly we do not have tv on during meals. I purposely don't have a tv in the upstairs living room because I want that room to be for homework, games, visiting with guests, ect so if there were a tv there it would be distracting.

If Survivor or Lost is on, which we watch together, often bringing our dinners down.

When my kids were little the often watched children's programming or videos while eating lunch or breakfast...it allowed me to fix my own meal or clean up the meal while they ate.

[121804]

Originally Posted by IBadget

However, I don't think you'll have an eating accident if you have the TV on during dinner time.

What do you think.

Well, are you asking this in relation to adults eating with the tv on or young children eating with the tv on or teenagers, etc etc etc?

Our policy is no tv on during meal times. It's the time of day where we are together as a family & to us, as cheesy as it sounds to some, it's a special time. It won't last forever, so we take advantage of it for today.

Of course, there are exceptions. We usually watch tv or a DVD when we order pizza. My dh & son have a movie they like to watch & usually have some sort of snack.

I find tv these days to be a complete bore. I also have two children under the age of 3 & find 75% of the stuff on tv way beyond what they should be exposed to at such a young age.

With young children, it can be a distraction and they could choke or not eat their food b/c the show is more interesting, which is usually the case.

As they grow up, I would assume most parents would be a little more lenitent when appropriate. Like if you have a bunch of friends over & are in high school, I am sure they'd have a better time eating pizza and watching tv than having a convo with the parents at the dinner table.

As for right now in our lives & due to work schedule, it is usually just myself & my children at dinner time. I find "conversation" with them far more interesting than what is on tv.