Do you and your family use phones during restaurant meals?

Generally when we go out phones aren't used but we don't have a hard and fast rule. It rings? It will be answered. We're talking about a certain subject and want to confirm a detail, we will take them out to get the answer. Want to show a picture from a recent event? Pulling the phone out for show and tell. Making a list for an activity we're planning? We'll take notes on the phone. I disagree that using a phone when with other people at table automatically equals not communicating or socializing with others. Sure that can happen but I don't think it's as much of a problem as certain media outlets want to portray.

I noticed the last two Thanksgiving that the younger guests had to check their phone during the meal, I mean really what's happening Thanksgiving evening? I went to my friend's apt on Sunday to watch the Grammys and she spent the whole time texting, missing things I'd point out on the screen. Yes I do have friends that put their phone face up on a restaurant table, it drives me crazy.

This is us too. Sometimes we even take the mini iPad and play a trivia game all together. OMG, how could we bury our noses in the electronics and not pay attention to each other  

Because we use our phone like grinningcat I really don't pay attention or judge others on how they use their's when they are out. Recently at Red Robin dd asked what we knew about something she was learning in school. We ended up looking up more info on the subject at the table, each of us coming up with a different fact about it. So yea, it could have looked like we were all on our phones not communicating, but we were all discussing the same thing and having a great time with it.

We have a rule that we don't, but it gets broken if DH has an emergency. Or even if we're out after a long day of school events and athletics we will all be on screens until food arrives.

We also pick up texts and phone calls from Grandparents (80-90 year olds) anywhere, anytime.

Hmmm, maybe we don't really have a rule after all

I have teenagers, so ringing phones is not an issue. They don't actually TALK on their phones.

But the rule I have about phones and eating is unless you are eating alone, phones are put away. There is no message that can't keep for the duration of the meal. While it may seem a bit draconian to some, I feel like I am trying to teach the boys that the person in front of you is more important than the person on the end of a text.

This rule is in place for eating out or eating in. 

I like that! 

When we go out we play games on our phones. there are times I take my tablet and we sit there playing either scrabble or yahtzee while we wait for our food. It is something we started do years ago. It is a way to be connected with each other and not have to talk about nothing. After a long day at work husband doesn't want to sit and talk through dinner and I don't want to sit there and talk about nothing when he is so tired. 

There is also times that the 3 of us go out and sit there playing the games. 

The thing we like to do most is go to mexican dinner and sit there and eat chips and salsa and play our games. 

It's so easy to judge when you don't have all the facts.

Back in May, DS and I were having lunch at a local Mexican restaurant together. He was on his iPod and I was on my phone Facebook Ing. A man of about 65 came around the corner, took one look at us sitting there, made a noise that was clearly disapproval. I asked if he needed something and he just shook his head no and walked away.

Clearly mother and son were just wasting time in a restaurant not communicating noses in their gadgets.

Or so that's what he seemed to think.

When he didn't know was that we had been there for an hour, we had finished our meal, we had had conversations but we were both exhausted because we had spent the whole previous two days preparing our house to be Put on the market.

We were completely emotionally exhausted and while we sat there waiting for news, there were four showings of our house going on. This was our favorite Mexican restaurant and it would be the last time we got to eat there before moving to a whole new state. It was a place where we were both comfortable and in this emotionally unraveling time we needed the comfort of a safe familiar place.

This experience reminded me to mind my own business. You rarely ever know what's really going on with other people.

Phones are on mute at restaurants. I'll confiscate them if they're being used.

ETA- that being said, I don't mind if someone snaps a picture and posts on Instagram before our meals and drinks are served.

But you are, you're not making eye contact and having a separate conversation with someone not there so the person in front of you has to wait until you are done.

It's just me and DH. Generally, no. But if one of us gets a text, we'll look at it. If it's my boss, I might need to answer. But sometimes we use one or the other phones to take down notes for the grocery list or to check the weather if we're making plans for the weekend. But no, we don't sit and talk/text other people instead of talking to each other.

Nope, no phones during dinner for any reason. At home or out! If it rings it goes to voicemail.

If dh and I are out without the kids and the phone vibrates, yes, we get it out to make sure it isn't whoever is looking out for the kids.

Otherwise, we don't use electronic devices at meals.