Who eats first in your home?

[Tronesia]

This is probably so random but it is something the hubs and I have been going back and forth on lately.

Who gets their dinner plate first in your home?

When I was a child, my dad never ate dinner before anyone. He wouldn't even eat until he fed our dogs. I always asked him why did he do that. He would leave for work at 3 or 4 in the morning (he was a car hauler) and get home 12-18 hours later. Most days he got home right when my mom was done with dinner. He said he never wanted to eat before any of use because he worked hard to take care of us. He knew we'd leave him something. Now, it was only 5 of us total in the house (my mom, dad, sister, my nephew, and me).

Hubs family consisted of 5 boys, mom, dad, and a niece. He said his mom always made his dad's plate first, then hers, and his baby brother's.

I am so used to the way my family did it. Now, I never eat before my children are settled and eating. It just feels wrong and it bothers me every time hubs eats before the kids. So I wondered...what's the norm for other families?

[farrijc]

I guess I generally give the kids theirs first, then dish out mine and DH's. I've honestly never thought about it. Our rule is no one is allowed to start eating until we're all seated with food in front of us.

[mrsashbaugh]

I'm usually the last to eat. I fix all their plates and then finally sit down to eat after. My mom was like that and still is when we all get together!

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[jak]

My husband usually isn't home at dinnertime so its just me and my two boys. I always put their plates on the table first, but mine follows within a minute and we all eat together.

On the rare occasion my husband is home for dinner I still do it in the same order. He seems to have no concept of a 'family meal' and will often take his plate to eat in front of the TV while the three of us sit at the table. It makes me so mad!! I therefore put his plate on the table last - makes me feel better! If he does sit at the table he will start eating before everyone else sits down - that makes me mad too!

[jacinda]

Usually the kids first then the adults. Hubby almost always waits for me to serve up before he'll do his own, but there's no hard and fast rule at our house.

[LeeAndra]

I make up the kids' plates because they still need things cooled off, cut up, etc. I don't make up my husband's plate unless I'm serving something off the stove.

I look forward to the day when I can just put food on the table, sit down, and have everyone serve themselves!

We pray before we eat so no one eats before anyone else (well, except the toddler, but he doesn't count!).

[Nettio]

We usually try to time it so everyone starts eating at the same time. Ryan gets hanged though so if he's crying or screaming and his food is ready, we let him start. If he's mostly calm though I make him wait till we are all ready to eat because I figure it's good for him to wait for things and helps him realize his needs aren't the only ones that matter.

[kim21673]

We always dish out the boys' food first and then get our food.

[carrie1977]

Kids first...then the hubby and I make our own plates.

[angiepangie]

I make up everyone's plates at the same time and then bring them all over to the dinner table at once (my son helps). So we end up getting all of our plates at the same time. Sometimes my husband eats with us, sometimes he doesn't (he works 7pm-7am six days a week, so he tends to follow his own separate routine and doesn't always eat around dinner time). He usually leaves for work while the rest of us are still eating dinner.

However when we're organizing big lunches for the extended family, my husband and I are always the last to sit down and eat. I'm fine with that, I wouldn't be able to settle until I knew everyone was happy.

[nietis]

It's usually my husband, our son and then me.
Hubby got this obsession about food and he becomes panicky when he's hungry. But, now, he waits for all of us to sit down and food are served, we pray, then we eat.
I eat last because I still assist our son on eating, but sometimes, when Michael decides to eat on his own, I can eat at the same time.

[Traci Reed]

We all sit and get served at the same time. Though I'm normally up dishing it out so I sit last, but we all eat at the same time.

[Lyd]

Originally Posted by Traci Reed

We all sit and get served at the same time. Though I'm normally up dishing it out so I sit last, but we all eat at the same time.

This is pretty much us too. But, hubby usually finishes first, clears his plate, and moves on with the evening. So, after the first 10 minutes, its often me and the kids for the rest of the meal.

[Traci Reed]

My parents always used to make everyone sit at the table till everyone was done eating so we all sit and wait for Josiah to finish eating because he's torture.

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[clucaswvu04]

We all sit together and eat, and usually all 5 plates are being made at once - kids still need some help with cutting etc so usually my husband is cutting up their meat and I'm dishing out veggies or salad. No one starts eating until after we pray though, and everyone stays at the table for a good bit. Our youngest is painfully slow some days so some days the boys get up before she is done because she has simply talked instead of choosing to eat lol.


Cheryl

[flergs]

All at the same time. I have all 5 plates lined up and make up like a production line & I take 2, my hubby takes 3 and we all serve & eat together.

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[flergs]

Originally Posted by Traci Reed

My parents always used to make everyone sit at the table till everyone was done eating so we all sit and wait for Josiah to finish eating because he's torture.

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Ugh same in my house. We dont sit and wait anymore. We've usually got the dishes 99% done by the time she's finished.

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[fifilur]

My son and I sit down together. I pretty much always put the food on the table and he and I both put what we want on our plates. He's such a slow eater though and it drives me crazy to sit and wait for him so I usually get up and start with the dishes before he's done.

[icindi]

We serve ourselves at the table. No one eats before we pray and my husband and I usually serve ourselves last. We are trying to teach our son with autism to serve guests first but he is shoveling food in before most of us have dished our food. The struggle is real.


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[mariewilcox]

It's just me and Cheyanne (15) so we serve ourselves at the same time right from the stove/microwave (I batch cook our meals on Sundays so "cooking" every night usually involves reheating and maybe some light assembly).

[lovely1m]

I make up everyone's plates and set them on the table. Then I call everyone to supper even though we have a great room and generally everyone can see me doing this. We all sit down and eat at the same time.

[YepBrook]

We eat dinner together at the table every night, it's important to us to have family meals all together. We don't eat anywhere but the table.

If I'm serving the meal from the kitchen, I will fix all of our plates and usually with Ben's help, bring them to the table. We all sit and say a prayer before we eat, so everyone is eating at the same time. We also stay at the table until everyone is finished (ahem... GRACE).

If we're serving the meal from the table we always give the kids their food first, each of us taking one kid to get their plate ready... and then we serve ourselves. If it didn't make a huge amount of food, I always let DH serve himself first so he gets enough to eat... but many times (unless he's hANGRY) he fixes the plate and then hands it to me.

[kendallt]

I always fix my daughter's plate before mine. I guess that's just something I've carried over from when she was little. Usually, my boyfriend cooks dinner, so I'll normally fix my daughter's plate, then his plate, then mine (Or I'll fix my daughter's plate and mine, and my boyfriend will fix his own), but we all sit down and eat at the same time.

[MamaBee]

Originally Posted by YepBrook

We eat dinner together at the table every night, it's important to us to have family meals all together. We don't eat anywhere but the table.

If I'm serving the meal from the kitchen, I will fix all of our plates and usually with Ben's help, bring them to the table. We all sit and say a prayer before we eat, so everyone is eating at the same time. We also stay at the table until everyone is finished (ahem... GRACE).

If we're serving the meal from the table we always give the kids their food first, each of us taking one kid to get their plate ready... and then we serve ourselves. If it didn't make a huge amount of food, I always let DH serve himself first so he gets enough to eat... but many times (unless he's hANGRY) he fixes the plate and then hands it to me.

This is exactly our house too... I usually am the one fixing the plates, but at times hubby does it - just depends what is going on and if I'm finishing something, hubby will jump in and help... or he is getting us our drinks, etc. I also so serve him first to make sure he has enough to eat.

If we are serving food for the extended family - I am always the last to sit and serve myself... Dave's family are fast eaters - most are done before I have food on my plate!

[rach3975]

It's rare that we all sit down together, unfortunately. DH gets home from work around the time we put the kids to bed, so we're in the habit of feeding the kids first then eating after they're in bed. When we do eat together, I serve the kids then make my plate. DH is an adult and can serve himself. I don't know if that attitude came from years of watching my mother wait on everyone or if it's because I wouldn't want anyone else dishing up my food for me, but yeah...DH doesn't get waited on. I'm the one who will be up and down 15 times anytime the kids need something, so I won't do it for him, too.

DH and I also have different opinions on the importance of family meals. Even if I'm not eating with the kids, I stay in the room and talk to them. If there's a day that DH is serving their dinner, he's more likely to serve it and then play on his ipad on the couch until someone needs something. I'll admit, that drives me nuts!

[Tracyfish]

My hubby is usually working past when dinner is done so he's the last one to eat. I get mine and my son's plates together at the same time.

[Tronesia]

Originally Posted by Lyd

This is pretty much us too. But, hubby usually finishes first, clears his plate, and moves on with the evening. So, after the first 10 minutes, its often me and the kids for the rest of the meal.

This is us most of the time. Also doesn't help that my hubs will eat straight from the stove.

[breakingbrie]

As a kid, I actually spent a good year thinking that adults didn't eat. Lol, dad worked late and mom either ate while cooking or waited for him, I don't even know but she didn't eat with us at the table. :P. Not really relevant just thought that's funny to remember.

Me and dh both prefer kids to be served last, and if we're both serving, he insists on getting his food last. So if he's not in the kitchen while I'm making up plates, I'll make his up first with the kids' then I'll serve myself last.

[Kiana]

If I cook, I fix the kids plates then hubby and I fix ours at the same time. We eat most dinners at the table together. But on the nights he get home late or something I wait for him to get home and eat with him.

If hubby cooks, same order pretty much, fix the kids plates and then we fix ours.

[LillyPilly]

Originally Posted by Tronesia

When I was a child, my dad never ate dinner before anyone. He wouldn't even eat until he fed our dogs. I always asked him why did he do that. He would leave for work at 3 or 4 in the morning (he was a car hauler) and get home 12-18 hours later. Most days he got home right when my mom was done with dinner. He said he never wanted to eat before any of use because he worked hard to take care of us.

Your dad is a very special man.

The boys and I usually all eat together although usually we have the tv playing in the background which is kind of a family distraction. I think that it's time for us to have tv-free time during meals.... I like that family custom.

[NellahBean]

I'm usually last! I always get the kids first, then my husband then myself. My secret in doing so is that my food is the hottest by the time we get to eat it because I served myself last! LOL. The kids don't care if it's hot or not! Just kidding... But seriously!

[glumirk]

It all depends. We aren't very formal, and DH loves to help with the last few minutes of getting dinner on the table. If it's really hot we serve up the kids' food first, especially the 2 yo who is usually just about done for the day. DH often has me serve myself and start eating, but likely because he knows I'll be up half the meal anyway (I'm not very organized...) so then I get a chance to eat. No one eats until after we pray.

[KingsQueen82]

Like a lot of other people have said, the kids get dished up first but we all sit down to eat together. The hubs works long, late hours so we tend to eat dinner around 7-7:30 pm. The kiddos have a big snack after school and they can pretty much eat that wherever but for dinner we all eat in the formal dining room together. It's one of the few things we can do as a family since while the hubs is on recruiting duty (i.e. crappy crappy schedule!)

[SeattleSheri]

We generally eat at the same time. My husband and I split the cooking and both of us serve the kids first (mostly to get them to stop complaining about being hungry, lol) ... then we serve ourselves -- usually at the same time. We always serve ourselves directly from the kitchen if we aren't hosting -- I don't transfer food to serving dishes and onto the table because I don't want to deal with the extra dishes.