A week or two ago, on a whim, I declared a “no reading at the table” rule. For those of you who know my house, this is a big change. A big change for Lex and I anyway. He was not happy. I was a little uncertain in my declaration, but I wanted to give it a try. Guess what? It has been a stellar success! (So far.)

I made the rule because he grabs a book for every meal and completely tunes out the world. He eats very messily, doesn’t pay attention to what he’s doing, doesn’t pay attention to us, and then sits at the table, completely spaced out, and reads until someone takes the book away. Two weeks ago he started coming home with a homework assignment to read for 20 minutes a night and write two sentences. I figured this would be a piece of cake for him but he continually insists that he doesn’t remember what he reads. That was the final straw. Making a mess, spacing out, and not even remembering? Not worth it!

Now he doesn’t read nearly as much, but he has better table manners and participates in the discussion and is generally a much more pleasant person to dine with. Yay!

The downside, for me, is that I also like to read at the table! Sometimes I sneak it in when no one is around, but I’m trying to break myself of the habit as well. I find myself much more attentive to the kids and participating more in the conversation, particularly with Eve, when I don’t have a magazine in front of me taking up 80% of my attention. My magazine pile is suffering, but the rest of us are doing fine! :)