Alright, I confess—while we DO eat at the dining table fairly regularly, and at the stools at the kitchen counter many mornings, this single parent family also has dinner in front of a movie once a week or so. I know it fits into some awful stereotype and that there are many people who will tell me how horrible it is, but is it REALLY that horrible? I mean, we are sharing the time together, hooting over an episode of “American Idol” or watching a movie we’ve all picked out, and if we happen to be eating homemade pizza or a plate full of salad and lasagna at the same time, is that really a crime?
I feel a little justified because we are not a big TV family anyway, we are the sorts who choose the program first and then make arrangements to sit down and watch—we don’t really just turn on the TV, sit down in front of it, and surf until we find something. Strangely, raising my kids with selective TV watching has generally worked and they are not TV addicts at all. Still, we do have our cheese and crackers while we watch a movie, or we arrange to all be home (or most of us) at a certain time to have dinner and a movie together…in the living room…spread out on the living room furniture…watching while we eat.
Can there be moderation with this TV and eating thing? Does it have to be a crime for a busy single parent family to double-up on time together and eat while watching something on the tube? Sure, I understand that if we ate every meal or every night plopped in front of the television watching sitcoms, which would be an unsavory family tradition, but please allow us our once-in-a-while family gathering with chow around the television!