I totally loved this, and thanks for uploading the video. Many are grateful. On the topic, as a kid we sat down to a family dinner each and every night. It was sheer hell. But then, Dad was military, and brooked no disobedience.

Wow! I wish I could comment on this, but the video won't even load right. All I get is ee-ah-oo-er. And I was sooooo looking forward to hearing Tanis, because I've been reading her blog for a while.
Please work on this!

Back in the olden days we always ate dinner together and there was always fighting, poking, arguing, so my conclusion is that things haven't really changed. I think what ever works for a family is what they should do. But hey ya did learn something about your kids, wonder if they learned anything new about you...

See? This is why I have lost my mind! We ALWAYS sit down for dinner...and it's not quiet, and I'm not organized.

So stinking proud of you, Tanis!!!

We're together a lot because we homeschool but the dinner thing is just grabbing at straws, everyone doesn't need to eat together, they just need to BE together, relaxed. how can it be relaxing if everyone is supposed to eat, who serves? I think family game night might be smarter, or movie night (together)

Loved this! And thanks for making Tanis look less pixelated this time. I think sitting down together most nights is important, yup -- because that's how I was brought up, and NOT because of what the studies say. But, it is very difficult and stressful. If it's not meant to be, it's not meant to be, and mothers shouldn't sweat it.

Thanks for bringing Tanis on. :)

Wow, I never realized until now that family dinners are not the norm. My kids are 14 and 12, and since they were small (babies even!), we always gathered around the table for dinner. I hate to cook, throw dinner together at the last minute, but I enjoy sitting around the table with my family.

We eat dinner together nearly every night. It's not always organized, it's definitely not always quiet and the majority of the time one of the kids will tell me they HATE dinner. It's fabulous.
When I really connect with my kids? After school and after reading time before bed, during snuggle time.
At dinner time I'm too busy shoveling it in before they ask me for something and my dinner gets cold.

Wow, your house looks so clean and organized!

Tanis is amazing. What's next week's topic?

Folks, eating together as a family is simply not that difficult. The problems lies in that you didn't start soon enough - or that you lapsed into eating in front of the TV for convenience or avoidance sake! This is sad. It is NOT that difficult to put dinner on the table. And if kids, Moms and Dads had been eating together from the get-go, or had lots of restaurant exposure, there would be none of this stabbing with utensils nonsense. Seriously. I have a 17 year old vegetarian daughter, a 20 year old son with Aspergers Syndrome (no foods shall be mixed or touch), and we STILL manage to eat together every night the kids are with us (5-6 out of 7). We do plan our menus in advance, which helps, but just knowing some basic cooking and limiting dinner to protein, vegetable (or two) and bread makes dinner highly doable. Our greatest dinnertime threats, in the past, were the cats making off with a pork chop or lapping at the milk in our glasses if we weren't prompt in sitting down to eat!

Tanis is hilarious! Love her!

Won't load.
Stopped by customs I guess.
Even poured CC and coke on my keyboard,,,didn't help.

Like Haley said above, we almost always eat dinner together but only because that's how my family did it and it has nothing to do with studies telling me what to do.

That said, my kids are 4 and 7 so it's not exactly quiet and peaceful and many nights it's actually quite stressful. I'm looking forward to the mythical time when it's pleasant more often than just a frantic race to try to eat before all hell breaks loose!

Dinner at the table does not have to be complicated....it's just my small daughter and I but even when it's just a bowl of cereal or peanut butter and jam sandwiches, we sit at the table and eat 5 nights out of the week. The rest of the night is too crazy to say anything meaningful, I value the 20 or so mins we have at supper talking, and it teaches them to slow down and eat, not shovel it in!

Eating around the table is fine, but it isn't necessary, especially if your family has, and uses, other opportunities to communicate.

Hi Tanis... you look good on TV!

We ate together at supper for years. My oldest is in jail for selling cocaine, my middle one ran away from home at fifteen and my youngest beats me up from time to time. Obviously more is needed than just supper:)

this is freaking awesome you rock hunny! setting a new trend for this generation of expressive individuals. I wish that we all could be so graceull in letting it all hang out! luv ya cuz