I work in a school and notice that some little kids either never speak at all or get over-excited and do not so much as 'converse' with other children as be silly. I wonder if this is as a result of parents not sitting down and eating with their children and therefore not allowing them their undivided attention at this important family time.

Do you eat with your kids at mealtimes? How important do you think this is?

I think its highly important to have that bonding time as a family. I have seen some that might be lucky to have one meal a week with everyone its really quite sad.

I don't think what you are seeing is abnormal whether they eat as a family or not at home. Small children are silly most of the time, to an adult anyway.

We always ate together as a family when my children were young but now we're lucky to eat together on holidays...lol. Once they are teenagers it becomes much more difficult between the adult work schedules and the teen's work/school schedules. I don't think it hurts anything as long as you make time for each other.

I don't think this is a result of not eating with the family at home. My daughter acts silly during lunch at school and we eat as a family every night. I think it's more kids just being kids. :D

I think this is just normal kid's behaviour. I've noticed that my nieces and nephews can behave their weirdest when they see they their peers. I have a niece who can be a real 'drama queen' and she has caused her mom quite a bit of anxiety a coup of times.

We also always had family meal times, during which the focus was on family time rather than just nutrition. And yet come school meal times there would be days we wouldn't eat we would be having so much fun! It's just a different atmosphere, and you have friends around-it's a different world.