Approach him about eating with the family OP, but not in a 'you better sit your ass down at the table' way. I can't imagine that approach being the best in almost any situation.

It's probably more common in families that have lots of issues (minus the situations where DH is working late); less so in families that try to create a strong family bond. Just my opinion.

We eat dinner as a family pretty much every night. It's the rule, not exception. There are nights when Dh is going out or not hungry and he will sit with us and snack on the dinner. But we always sit down together. Both Full time working parents, two kids.

My husband was a bit this way - would rather eat in front of the television. It took some insisting that we eat together and now that the kids are older and talking, he's figured out how important it it.

guy here - Dinner time is just about the only time I can talk to my kids about their school day, social life, and talk to my DW about how her day was...etc. It's probably the most important time of the day. Sorry your DH is not helping.

Anonymous wrote:This would really upset me. Family dinner is so important. So sorry Op.

Very important to me, too. Have you talked to him about it? He can eat dinner with you "and" eat chips in front of his ipad later if he really needs to. But there are so many benefits to kids having the whole family eat together. I'd go armed with that info when you talk to him.

This is not common, OP. It's common for the man to not be home for dinner, to be working late, etc. It's common for a family with young children to have two dinners: one for the kids early, then one for the adults later, after the kids go to bed. It's common for the entire family to eat in front of a TV.

It's not common for one member of the family eat alone in front of a screen while the rest of the family eats together.

This would not fly with me at all. During the week it's usually just me and the kids, but that's because DH is still at work. If he is home, he eats with us.

Anonymous wrote:The men I know who did this ended up divorced.

+1
He doesn't want a family - he wants to be single. You are either in it or not. Dinner together may sound like a small thing, but when you become a family, you ideally want to spend time together, especially if you are been gone all day. It's a time to reconnect, not chill by yourself in front of the TV or phone or whatever.

BTDT. Sorry. (oh - and I'm divorced and ex has virtually no contact with me or the kids)

The men I know who did this ended up divorced.

Perhaps he just doesn't realize how important this is to you OP.

Men can be quite clueless about things like this.

Why not talk to him directly and let him know that it is very important to you that he sits down with the family and eats dinner with you and the children every evening? If he knows it will mean something to you, he most likely will comply. I do not see why he wouldn't.

As a kid I either ate alone or with my father. After my parents divorced I ate alone and my mother drank dinner if she was home or ate out. I told my now-husband that if we got married I'd be wanting to eat dinner with him EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. We've been married five years, have two babies, and we always eat together unless one of us is traveling for work.

This would really upset me. Family dinner is so important. So sorry Op.

How do you allow this, OP? I would throw out the chips and hide the iPad. It's disrespectful to you and your daughter.

It's just me and my daughter 29 days out of 30. He eats chips in front of his ipad later in the evening.

How common is this? Dreading solo dining the rest of my life.