Pretty much every Sunday and half the Saturdays. The other days every one's schedules don't allow it. High School kids get home from sports around 6:00 and are starving so they eat as soon as the get home. Middle schooler leaves for her sports at 6:30 and extremely hungry at 5:00 so she eats then to allow her food to digest. DH get home routinely after 7:00. I sit with all three shifts.

6 and 9. DH gets home at 7:30 and we eat then, together, as a family every night. A few exceptions cropping up for sports practices but we keep those to a minimum. We've done this for years (since the oldest was a baby) and are already seeing the pay-offs.

Anonymous wrote:
Kids are 3 and 8.
We eat dinner together all three of us, DH comes in when he can, often in the middle of dinner.

I try very hard to avoid scheduling things at dinner time.

+1

Anonymous wrote:10 & 12, once or twice a week maximum. Three travel sports, two full-time jobs and volunteer coaching and charities and there is rarely a night that someone doesn't have something. The practices/games are too long for the rest to wait. But we do breakfast when we can and talk/laugh a lot togther as a family. Maybe I am naive but I do not think it hurts our family as we do a lot of sports together (including going to professional games together).

I don't think you are naive. And I don't think that hurts your family, either.

14 year old kid.

Every night we can.

Thus 3 weeknights and most weekend nights.

As for the SAHM that feeds the kids first: we didn't always manage it when our kid was that age (kid ate first), but we tried.

I am jealous of all you guys who have husbands who get home in time for dinner! Growing up family dinner was a big deal in my house, and before we had kids my husband and I always sat down at the dinner table no matter how late he got home. For us it's not a matter of wanting to make it happen - it's just a necessity of his schedule. I am a SAHM and so his job is key. I always wait to eat with him no matter the time... but the kids eat at 6-6:30. They are 3 and 5.

A few times per week. Some combination of us swim 4 nights per week and the non swimmers don't get home from school/work until too late to spend an hour cooking so we eat in shifts and heat up leftovers those days. On the non swimming days, we either cook dinner and eat at home or eat out together.

10 & 12, once or twice a week maximum. Three travel sports, two full-time jobs and volunteer coaching and charities and there is rarely a night that someone doesn't have something. The practices/games are too long for the rest to wait. But we do breakfast when we can and talk/laugh a lot togther as a family. Maybe I am naive but I do not think it hurts our family as we do a lot of sports together (including going to professional games together).

Four kids, ages 4-13. Mom plus kids every weeknight. Dad misses a day or two a week, more if he is traveling.
Weekends are more lax but we do eat breakfast and lunch together at least once.

Kids are 3 and 6. We eat together most nights. The exceptions are if DH or I have to work late (1-2 times per month) or travel for work (3-5 days per month total). If we're all in town, we eat together.

If one of the kids has an activity, we adjust dinner for the whole family to be before or after it. We haven't had any issues yet with activities for both kids on the same night but different times, but I see how this could change as DC2 gets older.

Two kids--9 and 12. Both in one sport at a time and one is in Scouts. We eat together almost every night. When there is practice, usually we split up and the parent at practice eats with that kid either before or after practice. Occasionally, we'll grab something on the way home, but usually the other parent cooks and has dinner waiting.

We don't allow any phones or tv during dinner. We sit at the table and talk to one another.

When DCs were younger (one year apart), they had meal with nanny before we came home from work. From when we got home from work till their bed, we spent that time on bath, reading, soothing, then would eat dinner after they were asleep. We kept this up for first few years of school, then switched to nightly dinners as they were able to stay up later. Now we eat dinner together 4-7X/week. One or two of those nights may be eating out. I don't hold dinner for kids with dinner time activities, but will sit with DC when having meal after activity.

One 7 year old.

Dinner together M-F. Not weekends. Husband works a swing shift. We hit up grandma for dinner instead.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is crazy. Don't your kids play sports/dance/music lessons? When I was a kid we had dinner together on Monday night only from age 7 on. I had dance, gymnastics, piano, and archery lessons every other night.

Kids are 9&12, we have dinner together maybe once a week or once every other week.

So how did you eat dinner? Was it cooked and left out on the stove for you or did you fend for yourself by foraging in the fridge?

We eat dinner together every night. Some nights my kids watch TV and run over to take bites of food. Not sure if that counts but we are still eating the same meal at the same time.

Dinner was never left on the stove. We took food with us for the most part just like you would pack lunch. The nights I had dance, some of the moms would cook and bring up food for everybody. We'd be there 4 hours a night on average.

Anonymous wrote:This is crazy. Don't your kids play sports/dance/music lessons? When I was a kid we had dinner together on Monday night only from age 7 on. I had dance, gymnastics, piano, and archery lessons every other night.

Kids are 9&12, we have dinner together maybe once a week or once every other week.

So how did you eat dinner? Was it cooked and left out on the stove for you or did you fend for yourself by foraging in the fridge?

We eat dinner together every night. Some nights my kids watch TV and run over to take bites of food. Not sure if that counts but we are still eating the same meal at the same time.