back for another fair/strict check

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-24-2005
back for another fair/strict check
11
Tue, 06-26-2007 - 1:45am
Here's my crazy sticking point for today.
We tend to eat around 6:30 or so here with all the kids activities, work sch's whatever.
Anyway, we sometimes have a problem getting everyone on board with eating at the same time and I've told them all it annoys me that we can't sit and eat together as a family and at least do ONE thing a day together. Naturally there will be some exceptions, school functions, sports, dinner dates for oldest, whatever. But I generally want all of us to sit and eat together especially if we're all in the house at dinner time.
Here's tonight's scenerio;
DD her bf and 3 ds's playing Wii together, which is great because I really don't like bf and with him around I can attempt to get to know him so I can form a more reasonable opinion of him if he'll ever open his mouth (I think the 5'7" or 5'8" 150lb 17yo is intimidated by little old 6'1" 300lb me, ah to be young again,lol). Anyway, they're playing the game, call everyone in to eat. I sit, and look up to see DW, 3 DS's and that's it. Missing 2 ds's and dd and her bf (if he was eating, he eats like a bird saying he ate already, again I guess he still feels out of place). So I call everyone again, I'm then told one ds is in shower because he was dirty from being outside all day in the heat running around. Another ds is in the bathroom (for 30mins once he was all done) and dd is now "not hungry" although she previously said she was starving and would eat "anything." So I ask bf, tell him all the different things we have hoping one would sound good enough to eat. Nope. Now I tell dd she needs to eat, she's working 40hrs a week at a summer job and can't live on a doughnut and a lean cuisine for lunch.
Now I'm stewing because I'm missing 3 of my kids from dinner, the one time we should all be together. I've threatened 6-8pm is dinner time, phone off hook, cells off, no door or people. My wife looks at me like I'm nuts, my kids the same. What is my solution?? Either my wife or I are always home, so the past few years my home time has really made me attached to my kids, and I realize that at 17 and going into sr year, time is marching on with dd. Every bit counts at this point. I will blink and she'll be gone. Same with oldest ds at 15 going into soph year.
Anyway-- all you wise people, help. Anything better then "let go" out there???
hope this made sense, too late to properly proofread. lol.

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Avatar for jbgattuso
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-29-2003
Tue, 06-26-2007 - 1:45pm

"lol, sorry if I gave that impression. We don't manage that every night'

LOL, I must say that I was saying....."man, this family is amazing." Yes, we get pretty upset when one of our 3 (only 3 :)) gives us a hard time about our Sunday Dinners...but they have gotten used to it.

Julie

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