The 3pm meal

[Anonymous]

What does it mean that it “tears up your day”? It’s not sufficient to eat a really light or no lunch since you know this is coming?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What does it mean that it “tears up your day”? It’s not sufficient to eat a really light or no lunch since you know this is coming?

Tell me you don’t have small children that nap without telling me you don’t have small children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What does it mean that it “tears up your day”? It’s not sufficient to eat a really light or no lunch since you know this is coming?

I think it means that people tend to break up their weekends into Morning, Afternoon, and Evening activities. A 3pm dinner means that the Afternoon and Evening slots are being taken up with one event. Example: Saturday is date night. You've got a babysitter want to do dinner at your favorite spot or try a new restaurant and then see a show. But you just ate dinner at 3. So what are you going to do in the meantime before the show. Or, dinner starts at three but doesn't end until 5:30 and you don't have enough time or energy to go and attend a later show. Or, your kids do sports or activities in the mornings and are ravenous afterwards. Then Grandma gets her feelings hurt when they pick at her meal because they just ate lunch. Personally, I think that withholding or limiting food from children, during natural mealtimes when they are hungry, to please someone else isn't a good thing to model outside of special occasions like Thanksgiving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does it mean that it “tears up your day”? It’s not sufficient to eat a really light or no lunch since you know this is coming?

Tell me you don’t have small children that nap without telling me you don’t have small children.

The "tell me you don't <blah, blah, blah> without telling me you don't <blah, blah, blah>" is getting old. Just becoming a personal pet peeve of mine. Quit trying to be so clever and write what you mean.

[Anonymous]

This would actually work great for us on weekends as long as we are out of there by 6. I’d rather have my evenings free. But that’s me.

Is this just dinner with MIL/FIL or with the entire family? And how often does this occur (is it every weekend, or a few times a year?)

If it is not that frequent, I’d just suck it up. If every weekend I’d either ask for a time change (if just MIL/FIL) or if whole family, I’d not plan around it and would only go when we are free- which may not be every weekend. If you live nearby and the family is relaxed, could possibly stop by afterward for dessert or similar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does it mean that it “tears up your day”? It’s not sufficient to eat a really light or no lunch since you know this is coming?

Tell me you don’t have small children that nap without telling me you don’t have small children.

? Nap time was over by 3. So eat after the nap then they will go to bed on time. A late dinner is much more inconvenient for small children unless you keep yours up until 10pm. Similar a long noon meal definitely disrupts nap time. Maybe there isn't a universal nap time making a 3pm meal a hassle. Otherwise a 3pm meal sounds like a good compromise.

[Anonymous]

My in laws do the same thing. It is just MIL's ploy for more time with her son and grandchildren. The reason I find myself still getting annoyed with it is the disingenuousness of the whole thing. Just ask us to spend the day with you, instead of asking us over for dinner, and then setting the time as 3 or 4pm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does it mean that it “tears up your day”? It’s not sufficient to eat a really light or no lunch since you know this is coming?

I think it means that people tend to break up their weekends into Morning, Afternoon, and Evening activities. A 3pm dinner means that the Afternoon and Evening slots are being taken up with one event. Example: Saturday is date night. You've got a babysitter want to do dinner at your favorite spot or try a new restaurant and then see a show. But you just ate dinner at 3. So what are you going to do in the meantime before the show. Or, dinner starts at three but doesn't end until 5:30 and you don't have enough time or energy to go and attend a later show. Or, your kids do sports or activities in the mornings and are ravenous afterwards. Then Grandma gets her feelings hurt when they pick at her meal because they just ate lunch. Personally, I think that withholding or limiting food from children, during natural mealtimes when they are hungry, to please someone else isn't a good thing to model outside of special occasions like Thanksgiving.

Op - this. I have a zillion things I need to achieve and dinner at this time eats up 2 slots - plus I have to feed the kids at their usual lunchtime so then it’s totally random time to eat. I don’t want to linger for hours trying to get my kids to behave and talk to a bunch of elderly ppl

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does it mean that it “tears up your day”? It’s not sufficient to eat a really light or no lunch since you know this is coming?

Tell me you don’t have small children that nap without telling me you don’t have small children.

The "tell me you don't <blah, blah, blah> without telling me you don't <blah, blah, blah>" is getting old. Just becoming a personal pet peeve of mine. Quit trying to be so clever and write what you mean.

Definitely not just you. It's really immature and self-centered. OP didn't say anything about naptime.


OP I get this. My parents like to eat at times that are odd to me. (Is the 3pm late lunch or very early dinner? We may never know, lol.)We try to adjust around it as best we can but it does throw the whole day off a bit.

[Anonymous]

This is my dream. Breakfasts around 9 or 10 then big meal around 3 or 4pm. I sleep so much better, I eat less overall. When the kids are gone this is so what DH and I will do

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does it mean that it “tears up your day”? It’s not sufficient to eat a really light or no lunch since you know this is coming?

I think it means that people tend to break up their weekends into Morning, Afternoon, and Evening activities. A 3pm dinner means that the Afternoon and Evening slots are being taken up with one event. Example: Saturday is date night. You've got a babysitter want to do dinner at your favorite spot or try a new restaurant and then see a show. But you just ate dinner at 3. So what are you going to do in the meantime before the show. Or, dinner starts at three but doesn't end until 5:30 and you don't have enough time or energy to go and attend a later show. Or, your kids do sports or activities in the mornings and are ravenous afterwards. Then Grandma gets her feelings hurt when they pick at her meal because they just ate lunch. Personally, I think that withholding or limiting food from children, during natural mealtimes when they are hungry, to please someone else isn't a good thing to model outside of special occasions like Thanksgiving.

Op - this. I have a zillion things I need to achieve and dinner at this time eats up 2 slots - plus I have to feed the kids at their usual lunchtime so then it’s totally random time to eat. I don’t want to linger for hours trying to get my kids to behave and talk to a bunch of elderly ppl

It's definitely a strange time for dinner unless you go to bed at like 7pm. Or if you eat again after dinner. Once in a while (like for a holiday) I would suck it up but if it's every week, I'd ask about doing lunch instead (or dinner at a time that works with the kids' schedules).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does it mean that it “tears up your day”? It’s not sufficient to eat a really light or no lunch since you know this is coming?

I think it means that people tend to break up their weekends into Morning, Afternoon, and Evening activities. A 3pm dinner means that the Afternoon and Evening slots are being taken up with one event. Example: Saturday is date night. You've got a babysitter want to do dinner at your favorite spot or try a new restaurant and then see a show. But you just ate dinner at 3. So what are you going to do in the meantime before the show. Or, dinner starts at three but doesn't end until 5:30 and you don't have enough time or energy to go and attend a later show. Or, your kids do sports or activities in the mornings and are ravenous afterwards. Then Grandma gets her feelings hurt when they pick at her meal because they just ate lunch. Personally, I think that withholding or limiting food from children, during natural mealtimes when they are hungry, to please someone else isn't a good thing to model outside of special occasions like Thanksgiving.

Op - this. I have a zillion things I need to achieve and dinner at this time eats up 2 slots - plus I have to feed the kids at their usual lunchtime so then it’s totally random time to eat. I don’t want to linger for hours trying to get my kids to behave and talk to a bunch of elderly ppl

It's definitely a strange time for dinner unless you go to bed at like 7pm. Or if you eat again after dinner. Once in a while (like for a holiday) I would suck it up but if it's every week, I'd ask about doing lunch instead (or dinner at a time that works with the kids' schedules).

op- i would say it happens whenever we visit them for any kind of extended family thing. maybe 5x a year.
I think it triggers me because it sort of implies that the visitor doesn't have anything else going on with their day. our lives are SO hectic with insane work schedule and kids. ILs are retired and do absolutely zero. I think on some level it feels oblivious to the lives of others to me. bc when i make arrangements they typically revolve around and include the visitor in the calculations - eg 'you're coming from an hour or two hours away - what makes sense, a brunch or lunch or dinner?" none of that communication ever happens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does it mean that it “tears up your day”? It’s not sufficient to eat a really light or no lunch since you know this is coming?

I think it means that people tend to break up their weekends into Morning, Afternoon, and Evening activities. A 3pm dinner means that the Afternoon and Evening slots are being taken up with one event. Example: Saturday is date night. You've got a babysitter want to do dinner at your favorite spot or try a new restaurant and then see a show. But you just ate dinner at 3. So what are you going to do in the meantime before the show. Or, dinner starts at three but doesn't end until 5:30 and you don't have enough time or energy to go and attend a later show. Or, your kids do sports or activities in the mornings and are ravenous afterwards. Then Grandma gets her feelings hurt when they pick at her meal because they just ate lunch. Personally, I think that withholding or limiting food from children, during natural mealtimes when they are hungry, to please someone else isn't a good thing to model outside of special occasions like Thanksgiving.

Op - this. I have a zillion things I need to achieve and dinner at this time eats up 2 slots - plus I have to feed the kids at their usual lunchtime so then it’s totally random time to eat. I don’t want to linger for hours trying to get my kids to behave and talk to a bunch of elderly ppl

What a peach

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does it mean that it “tears up your day”? It’s not sufficient to eat a really light or no lunch since you know this is coming?

I think it means that people tend to break up their weekends into Morning, Afternoon, and Evening activities. A 3pm dinner means that the Afternoon and Evening slots are being taken up with one event. Example: Saturday is date night. You've got a babysitter want to do dinner at your favorite spot or try a new restaurant and then see a show. But you just ate dinner at 3. So what are you going to do in the meantime before the show. Or, dinner starts at three but doesn't end until 5:30 and you don't have enough time or energy to go and attend a later show. Or, your kids do sports or activities in the mornings and are ravenous afterwards. Then Grandma gets her feelings hurt when they pick at her meal because they just ate lunch. Personally, I think that withholding or limiting food from children, during natural mealtimes when they are hungry, to please someone else isn't a good thing to model outside of special occasions like Thanksgiving.

Op - this. I have a zillion things I need to achieve and dinner at this time eats up 2 slots - plus I have to feed the kids at their usual lunchtime so then it’s totally random time to eat. I don’t want to linger for hours trying to get my kids to behave and talk to a bunch of elderly ppl

It's definitely a strange time for dinner unless you go to bed at like 7pm. Or if you eat again after dinner. Once in a while (like for a holiday) I would suck it up but if it's every week, I'd ask about doing lunch instead (or dinner at a time that works with the kids' schedules).

op- i would say it happens whenever we visit them for any kind of extended family thing. maybe 5x a year.
I think it triggers me because it sort of implies that the visitor doesn't have anything else going on with their day. our lives are SO hectic with insane work schedule and kids. ILs are retired and do absolutely zero. I think on some level it feels oblivious to the lives of others to me. bc when i make arrangements they typically revolve around and include the visitor in the calculations - eg 'you're coming from an hour or two hours away - what makes sense, a brunch or lunch or dinner?" none of that communication ever happens.

Maybe they think you'd like to get back to your house in time for a reasonable bedtime.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does it mean that it “tears up your day”? It’s not sufficient to eat a really light or no lunch since you know this is coming?

Tell me you don’t have small children that nap without telling me you don’t have small children.

The "tell me you don't <blah, blah, blah> without telling me you don't <blah, blah, blah>" is getting old. Just becoming a personal pet peeve of mine. Quit trying to be so clever and write what you mean.

+1,000,000