do you have rules in your house when you eat?

@p3ks626 (6538)
Philippines
July 5, 2010 4:59am CST
My father had rules when it comes to eating in our house. One of the rules he has, is everybody should at dinner time. Whether you are hungry or not, you have to sit there. We are also not to sing when we eat. Do you have rules in your house when you eat? What are they?
3 people like this
14 responses
@CTHanum (8234)
• Malaysia
6 Jul 10
generally, there is no rules when eating in my mother house.we are not used to family gathering when comes to eating.you can eat whenever you like.but i prefer to eat with my mom.the only rule you need to do is behaved and well mannered yourself when eating.we always have discussion and talks during that time too.
@p3ks626 (6538)
• Philippines
6 Jul 10
I think it always have to be that way. We have to be well-mannered because its one way of showing respect to God for the blessings of food on the table. I also like talking about stuff with my family during meal times when we are together.
@CTHanum (8234)
• Malaysia
6 Jul 10
on the other hand, in my sister house there are lots of rules when eating and it's all because of her children.to make things easier, everyone should eat at the same time for easy to was the dishes after meals.sometimes no television, should turn off otherwise they will finish up the food late.do not talk too much and etc.....too many rules but there are for the children good.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
6 Jul 10
When I was a child my father had many rules about eating. He was very strict and he got angry if my brother and I didn't use our knives and forks the right way or if we put our arms on the table while we were eating. We were not allowed to sing or talk too loud either. My father also got very angry if my brother and I didn't show up immediately when dinner was ready. In one of the first houses where I lived with my parents there was no tv in a room where we had dinner, but when we moved we started eating in the kitchen. There was a tv in the kitchen and my brother and I were supposed to be quiet so that my father didn't miss the the things they said on tv.
@p3ks626 (6538)
• Philippines
7 Jul 10
I think your dad and my dad were the same. I think most of the rules that you have at home are somewhat the same with our rules at home. My dad doesnt watch tv while eating though. But there are times when he does when he is listening to some important news. But this seldom happens because he always watch the news first then we eat.
@youless (112481)
• Guangzhou, China
5 Jul 10
Actually we don't have a specific rules at our home when we have a meal. But since I don't want my son to have a bad eating habit. Therefore, usually I will turn off the TV when we have a meal together. I love China
@p3ks626 (6538)
• Philippines
6 Jul 10
My sister also do the same thing with her kids. She doesnt want her kids to eat in front of the television or watch tv while eating. But when my nephews are in my parents house, they can actually do anything they like cause my parents tend to spoil them. They can watch tv while eating which not really good. My father doesnt apply the same rules to my nephews, only to us. Its ironical.
• Malaysia
5 Jul 10
there were some rules when i was a kid... we had to wait until daddy was ready to eat before anyone could eat, there could be no elbows on the table...and there was even a certain seating order. well...that was then. now it's a free-for-all kind of thing since i'm on my own
@p3ks626 (6538)
• Philippines
6 Jul 10
We also had seating orders at home. No one can sit on your seat unless its you. Its like a superstitious belief or something. As far as I can remember, I always sat at the right side of my dad and I kept that seat until I got married.
@Suminundu (192)
• Malaysia
5 Jul 10
Hi p3ks626, it is good to have eating rules.I knew some of the rules we had in our rural home. We were also not allowed to sing while eating or to sit on the rice pounder while eating. These were superstitions. They were more than rules.
@p3ks626 (6538)
• Philippines
6 Jul 10
Rules are good for me too. I think its a very good way to discipline kids. I found it annoying before when I was a kid but now that I am older and have a family of my own, I also want to impose the same rules to my kids in the future.
• Philippines
5 Jul 10
Every one should be at the dining table during meal time. No watching TV when eating and definitely no eating in front of the television. There are a lot more actually, but the rule that I personally practice to this day is 'Take only what you can eat and eat everything on your plate because there are a lot of hungry children in the world.'
@p3ks626 (6538)
• Philippines
6 Jul 10
Speaking of taking only what you can eat, my father also told us the same thing but its not actually a rule at home. He just told us that its part of good eating habits and manners. He doesnt like looking at our plates and the food in it is already overflowing. He said, its better to get food many times rather than get a lot and you wont be able to consume it and have to leave the food in the plate and its gone to waste.
• India
5 Jul 10
i grew up in a boarding school there they had rules like even the sound from the fork hitting the plate should nto be heard . but 1 rule i had @ HOME during holidays is mom , pop grandparents used to bug me to come have food on time or else they get annoyed ..in a nice way
@p3ks626 (6538)
• Philippines
6 Jul 10
We dont have that kind of rule at home about the sounds made by the eating utensils cause we were used to eating with a glass plate and they always make noise so I guess my father have to consider that. lol
@rosie230 (1703)
5 Jul 10
When I lived at home with my parents, we had to eat at the dinner table as a family. But as we got older, those rules changed and we began to eat in a more social way, sometimes whilst we were sat on the sofa watching TV, sometimes at the table. Now I have my own place, which I share with my children, and unfortunately, it is quite small, so we have no room for a table here. So we have to eat our dinner on the sofa, with trays so we don't make a mess. It is a nightmare sometimes... I really wish that we had a table that they could sit round, as it would be easier and nicer for us to sit as a family and eat.
@p3ks626 (6538)
• Philippines
6 Jul 10
That's my father's main point why he set some rules for us to follow when we eat because its easier and nicer to do it. My father always want us to eat together as a family. He also wants us to eat together so it would be easy for us to fix the table after we eat and we can wash the dishes right away after eating.
@juggerogre (1653)
• Philippines
5 Jul 10
No we don't have rules in our house when it comes to eating. We can eat wherever and however we want as long as we eat. But I remembered one time when my father was in a bad mood. She scolded my sister when she was humming while eating. But it happened only once.
@p3ks626 (6538)
• Philippines
6 Jul 10
As far as I can remember, my father also said something about singing and humming when we eat. At first, it was like not serious at all but when it happened again, we knew that is was serious. My siblings and I always tried to remember that we are not allowed to do that.
@ddaguno (3107)
• Philippines
5 Jul 10
I think your father was right in coming up with his rules. Good relationships are formed when the family is together and what time would it be best to talk and have a good time if not when you are eating dinner.
@p3ks626 (6538)
• Philippines
6 Jul 10
You are right about the good relationship because my family and I were able to have that. I miss eating meals together with them. My husband and I eat meals together too but there are times when I have to eat first especially if I am calling him to eat already and has to come after a few minutes and not right away. My father also have that rule, when he called he has to call only once or you'll be in trouble if he has to call you again.
@emma27865 (101)
5 Jul 10
Most of us lead such busy lives, it is nice to make that a time, when all the family can get together and discuss what they have been up to. It is a nice relaxed time and it can really help families connect with each other. We try to do this at least once a day. If the children have any concerns, they know this is a time they can discuss things, try it, you might like it!
@p3ks626 (6538)
• Philippines
6 Jul 10
Its a very good thing that you do that at least everyday. I think its a very good feeling for the kids to have that there parents have time to listen to their concerns no matter how busy the parents are.
@leo2050 (348)
• India
5 Jul 10
yes we had some rules while eating our meals which were made by mom, but nobody follows them. even my mom sometimes forget about it. We have a very small family and I think a small family doesn't need some rules and regulations while eating.
@p3ks626 (6538)
• Philippines
6 Jul 10
Rules are set because they make things organized. Its also up to other families if they would have their rules or not. My dad was strict in following the rules and I find it helpful especially when you have to mind your table manners.
@LeoWyatt (169)
• Bulgaria
5 Jul 10
No, I actually don't have rules in my house when I eat. I mean my parents try to make me eat whereever they want but I often eat in front of the computer watching a TV show or a movie. I love watching TV or a movie when I eat. Do you?
@p3ks626 (6538)
• Philippines
6 Jul 10
That's also one of the rules my father has. He also doesnt want us to be watching the TV while we're eating. There are times though that he needs to watch the news so he turns the tv on but watching a show is a big no no for him.
• Indonesia
5 Jul 10
I never have rules to eat..
@p3ks626 (6538)
• Philippines
6 Jul 10
I think it depends on people if they wanted to have rules or not. We already had the rules when I was young, so I was able to adopt that until now. My husband didnt have a lot of strict rules in their home but now that we have our own, they are rules that he also has to follow.