Should families have formal sit down meals at dinner time, or should everyone be allowed to grab a bite and eat in front of the TV, PC?

Dinner time at our house was for all of us. Back then, the television was not allowed to be on, and it wasn't all that wonderful at five-thirty anyway. My mom and dad were both interesting conversationalists, and we learned polite table manners and appropriate topics of conversation without anybody getting cross about it. If we didn't like a certain vegetable or casserole concoction, we were expected to eat a small portion of it anyway, and no whining.

When my summer job hours conflicted with our family dinner time, my mom would fix me a plate at three p.m. and sit down and talk with me. I really miss family dinners.

I am so thankful that i grew up in a time when people sat down for dinner like you described. I feel so sorry for people today who don't. The sad part is even on holidays then don't eat together, The kids fix a plate and go off to their rooms or watch TV or text and no one things anything about it. It's horrible.

People don't know how to talk to each other and have no sense of family. Or I should say, it's a warped view of family life.

Personally I think if there's children and everyone isn't grown up people should sit together and have family meals. In terms of children living at home who are adults, they shouldn't be expected to sit down at the table each week. They work different times to their parents.