Survey: Kids Want Dinner In Front Of TV And Over Fast
Dinner time can be a source of friction for families. Parents and kids disagree over what to eat, when to eat, and how to eat. So what if the parents were to cede control to the kids? A new survey reveals what that would be like.
A poll commissioned by Italian appliances brand Smeg asked 1,000 six to 16-year-olds what they really think of meal times and what the rules should be. Here’s what they said:
- Moms should be doing the cooking, with nearly half (47%) saying they prefer mom’s meal choices and only 16% voting for dad’s.
- Moms get the vote for most creative in the kitchen and they’re more likely to let the kids help prepare the meals.
- And if kids had it their way, they’d eat at 5:48pm every day and they’d get to choose how much food goes on their plate.
- When it comes to their food choices, the top three meals kids would pick for dinner are no surprise: pizza, burgers, and chicken nuggets with fries.
The kids also weighed in on what they feel the rules for dinner time should be. Almost half (48%) say they would love to see a TV on the kitchen wall, which is way more than the 15% who voted for a ball pit in the kitchen. The top ten broke down like this:
- Can leave the table when you’re finished and not have to wait for everyone else to finish
- Eat dinner in front of the TV
- Choose how much food goes on your plate
- Have whatever you want to drink
- Can eat in your pajamas
- Everyone chose what they want to eat
- Music is allowed to be played
- Don’t have to finish your meal before you can have dessert
- Phones allowed at the table
- Eat with your fingers
I have news for you. A lot of adults want those same things at dinner time, but they’re afraid to admit that. I’m not. At the risk of sounding immature, I’ll go ahead and say it: Dinner in front of the TV is better. You can still talk to other people while you’re doing it. What’s wrong with a side of televised sports or Hollywood entertainment?
My wife and I have differing opinions of how our family’s dinners should go. Sara definitely prefers for most of our meals to be eaten at the dining room table. I’m fine with the living room couch in front of the TV.
When I cook, I always have the radio on in the kitchen and leave the music playing when we do eat at the table. Sara prefers the music to be turned off when it’s time to eat. I think that’s how it was in her family’s home when she was growing up. In my parents’ home, music is always playing. Also, Sara is more of a dinner time conversationalist than I am. I like to focus on the food. But in a restaurant, we have both music and conversation.
We do agree that if we’re all at the table, no one should leave until we’re all finished. Our youngest son tries to sprint out of the dining room like Usain Bolt after he’s done shoveling dinner into his mouth. He never succeeds.
