Respect family dinnertime.
We try to eat together almost every night. So that our kids appreciate this ritual without feeling coerced into it, here's what we decided: If one of our two older kids is finished eating, he can leave the table, but he can't hang around nearby, playing and talking and distracting the rest of us. He has to go into the living room or upstairs. Usually, what he really wants is our company and attention, so he'll stay in his seat. My husband and I have our own rules to obey, too: We don't answer the phone or watch TV during dinner.

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