A while back I clipped an article from a newspaper. The reporter had asked a group of young people to describe dinner time at their house. Here’s what they said:

‘I eat dinner with my mum, my dad and my dog, We don’t talk a lot, ’cause we’re too busy watching catch-up TV that we recorded earlier in the day. It’s a pretty laid back time, because we sit down together and do something we all like doing.’  Tracey, 14

‘I usually eat by myself. My parents are either not at home or upstairs playing on the computer. So obviously I rarely talk during dinner. I like it that way.’ Matthew, 14

‘We never eat together. I eat at about 5pm, always something different from the rest of the family, because I’m very picky and hate a lot of stuff. While I’m eating I talk to mum, but usually our conversation turns into an argument, which then fades and we watch the Simpsons.  Mum and my brother eat at 6.30 and watch a game show on TV, and then my father comes home about 8.30 to eat what mum made and tell us about the day.’ Sasha, 13

‘I eat dinner with my brother Manuel, my sister-in-law Dara, my niece Alexis and my baby nephew Jordan. I like dinner time, because we first say our prayers, and then we eat and talk about our day and things. We laugh a lot and have a nice time. My niece always makes us do little things where we clink our glasses and say, “to the open road” and stuff like that. She got it from a Goofy movie!’ Daniel, 14

‘Usually, my mum will call me from work and ask me what I want to eat. If I’m in a hurry, which I always am, I’ll tell her McDonalds or Hungry Jacks. She brings it home around 5 o’clock and then I sit in front of the TV. Mum usually does something else ’cause she doesn’t eat much. Usually I’m finished in ten minutes and I get back to my schedule.’ Justin, 14

‘When I was younger, my mum insisted that we all sit down together at the table for a nice family dinner, and we would talk about how our day went. Sometimes my sister and I would weasel our way into the living room to watch the TV, but not very often. Mum always said we needed to spend quality time together, and so we had to leave our computers and stuff and come to the table. But lately we don’t do it much. My father is working odd hours and my sister has moved out to uni, so often it’s just me and mum. Mum doesn’t like to cook a big meal just for two, so we have leftovers or take-away.’ Lindsay, 13

‘Sometimes my dad and I eat dinner at the same time, in front of the TV, and discuss how the day went or what we are doing on the weekend. But not every night. Even though his girlfriend cooks every night, I have a basketball game some days and before I go I eat out with friend before the game. Or I have practice and I eat when I get home.’ Corey, 16

‘In my house we have to wait until everyone shows up and then we eat. I think most Chinese do it that way. At the table we talk about what happened during the day and have a happy time. Except when my dad and my sister have heated arguments about politics or something. I don’t like it much. Most of the time it’s good though. I think talking to my parents is very important, because they always give me some ideas to help solve my problems, and talking about things makes me feel more comfortable.’ Jonathan, 17

So, what’s dinner time like at your house?