Do you allow your kids to have their food in front of the Television?

When he was a kid I could handle him but after a certain age you cannot even utter a word against it.
Just cannot avoid

sometimes yes...

to b very honest except my in -laws we [me ,my hubby my kids]all have food only in front of the tv

I have the habit of watching TV when having my food

Originally Posted by Laxmi

Poll for the week - July 19th 2009 to July 26th 2009

This week's poll topic is about having your food - lunch, dinner - in front of the Idiot box - the television.
These days the flats are designed such that the living area and the dining area is combined into a L -shaped hall. So kids tend to be glued to the Television when having their snacks/ food.
So do you think the kids are no longer relishing the food because all their attention is on what is happening in the Television programme. Hence do you not allow them to have their food when the TV is switched ON. Or do you loosen the rope and allow the kids to chill out after their hectic school routines.
Share your views here and vote in the poll.

HI Laxmi,
Yes I sometimes allow my son to have his dinner by watching his fav cartoon. I know it's wrong and am trying to stop that habit completely. Researchers say any kid who watches TV for more than an hour will find it difficult to concentrate on his studies. So I have to tread carefully while dealing with my child when there's a strict No No for watching TV. Am slowly making it a habit that he sits along with us in the dining table to have his food.
I strongly feel watching too much of TV not only affects their attitude towards others but also it brings down their performance level in academics. So parents, be very careful if you want your child to be one among the toppers.
sudhara

I do allow them as we (My Dh and Me) do it sometimes. Even I allowed they them and we all do it few times, not a problem

Love

Rita

hello everybody,
my name is anjubonthala and i have a 5 yr old daughter. I am totally against this
matter. My daughter likes to listen to the stories while eating and i am very happy with her.
If we make them to sit infront of the tv while eating, definitely they dont know how much they eat and may lead to obesity as per the study i read.
Bye and take care,

We dont...we have rules set in place called 'house rules' and everyone follows them incl the adults...TV is out during week days for the kids...and week ends they earn their tv time, else its play outside or the park on week ends.

sometimes we do let our kids eat thier meals in front of the TV though the priority is always at the D.Table. It is also at times when we have to catch up with our favorite program or on weekends. But my son is adament and eats better in front of the tv. so at times instead of creating a tense environment I just give in.

I don't have children, but if I have one, I will never let him/her to watch tv while eating for following reasons which i value :-

1. child cannot realise what it eats (so it cannot comment about the food or appreciate the food that a mother cooks with great care and love) [they wouldn't remember if they are aksed what they had for breakfast/lunch/dinner]
2. the quantity it eats (leads to obesity)
3. The habit of eating together with the family [atleast dinner]
4. losing the habit of eating vegetables and fruits ['cuase of lots of ad for junk foods which is very tempting when having food in front of tv-then the child will ask for a chips/fries as an accompaniment to the food you serve]
5. Not chewing food properly thus leading to digestive disorders.
6. Health [psychological reason : the emotions of a child while having food at that time depends upon the kind of programme they are watching (violence in cartoon) and these emotions will have an impact on its health through the food]

its always better if a child eats either listening to paati kathai or eats quietly sitting and enjoying the food along with the family. the elder members of the family should set an example by sacrificing their tv watching habit while eating.

Mira.

"Let's enjoy a happy meal, dining together"