S/O do people in your home eat in bedrooms?

[theelfqueen]

We have never allowed (including ourselves) eating or drinking in bedrooms other than water bottles. We also generally don't take food or drinks without lids  to any area off the main floor. (My kids range from 27 to almost 18) 

I think this at least partially stems from my younger brother being a total slob with food related trash and dishes in his bedroom. 

Edited February 15, 2023 by theelfqueen

[Guest]

Not officially; officially, we did not allow it. But boundary creep has happened. We do still have dinners around the table, but ice cream/chips/mugs of hot cocoa/yogurt have migrated over the years so…

[catz]

A few exceptions during covid but pretty strictly no.  

[Kassia]

I'd prefer no but it does happen.  Especially when my adult kids are here working from home.

[Emba]

The kids are not supposed to have food in their rooms because of the mess they won’t clean up. Sometimes they do anyway, and get in trouble. 
 

DH and I sometimes bring food in our bedroom, but we clean up after ourselves.

[MEmama]

I don't think so when DS was growing up, but now he sometimes does when he's home. It doesn't particularly bother me, certainly isn't worth causing potential friction or stress over. 
 

 

Edited February 15, 2023 by MEmama
Never to I don't think so because I really don't remember, we don't really do rules and if he did eat in his room it wasn't an issue

[Terabith]

Yes, we don't eat meals in bedrooms, but things like a snack sometimes, especially if sick, or like the kids keep their personal candy in their rooms where it won't be eaten by someone else thinking it was free for everyone.  I ate a banana in my bedroom today while hanging out with my husband and chatting.  

[Elizabeth86]

We mostly eat in the kitchen. Occasionally snacks in the living room. I ate in my bedroom during my first pregnancy, but we just don’t usually take food to the bedrooms. I wouldn’t say a rule because we’ve never said not to, but we just don’t.

[JustEm]

Dh and I eat and drink in our room on occasions. Mostly, when we are spending quality time together and the kids are in bed. We have a table in our room for boardgame playing or puzzles that the youngest can't get to. So, we'll have snacks and beverages while doing that.

But the kids are not allowed to eat or drink in their bedrooms. I don't mind if they do in our room while they're joining in a game or puzzle 

[Harriet Vane]

We eat anywhere and everywhere. I do ask that dishes not be left all over the place, though, and crumbs be ruthlessly dealt with immediately. 

[Jaybee]

Our kids weren't allowed growing up, but now they snack in their rooms sometimes, as do we. I particularly wish one wouldn't, because that one doesn't clean up, but otherwise, it's okay now that their grown.

[Pawz4me]

We've never had any rules about where food can or can't be consumed. DH and I keep water on our night stands, but we don't eat in our bedroom. We do snack in the living room. And sometimes DS24 will take a snack to his room at night, or eat his lunch there on his days off. Even when the boys were little they never ever left food or bowls or anything in their rooms, so it was never an issue.

Edited February 15, 2023 by Pawz4me

[TexasProud]

Depends.  I have no children in the home.

When dh is home, nope.

When dh is overseas and I am by myself, all the time.  And yes, dishes stay everywhere.  Not when he is home, though. He wouldn't tolerate it.

[Clarita]

No we do not eat in bedrooms (unless the person is really sick and/or COVID quarantining).  Only water is allowed in bedrooms.

My kids are 6 and under so yes there are strict rules around where to eat - they are only allowed to eat in the kitchen unless explicitly allowed to otherwise. I imagine some of those rules will be loosened when they are older and more capable of at least holding a plate flat 99% of the time.

[mlktwins]

My boys can have dry food and water most everywhere in the house at this point. They do not leave dishes laying around or make a mess. Other food is allowed if isolated due to sickness (since covid).

[marbel]

6 minutes ago, Harriet Vane said:

We eat anywhere and everywhere. I do ask that dishes not be left all over the place, though, and crumbs be ruthlessly dealt with immediately. 

This is us too. I never had rules around food when I was a kid - at least, not where to eat it. There is at least one photo of my siblings and me on the floor in front of the TV with a big bowl of popcorn to share (yes, hands right in the bowl). My kids never took messy food, like soup or a plate of enchiladas (just two potentially messy foods I thought of) in their rooms, but hot or cold drinks, snacks, etc were fine. I did remind them that food wrappers attract vermin so they were pretty careful to deal with their trash.

[kbutton]

Sometimes. Mostly packaged snacks. We haven't had issues so far with people having half the dishes in the house squirreled away with rotting food, or it might be a different story. We also don't have carpeting to worry about in bedrooms. It's all hard floors. 

 

[kristin0713]

not allowed here

[Indigo Blue]

When boys were home, no. However, I did spread out a blanket in front of the TV with our lunch ….picnic style ….while we watched movies. 
 

Now, when they visit, they don’t eat in the bedrooms. We do all sit on the couch together and have a snack or dessert, though. 
 

Sometimes *I* eat sitting on my bed if I need to, because of my stupid knotted back. 
 

We generally are not eat in the bedroom people. No judgment for anyone else. We’ve just always been mostly kitchen table eaters. 
 

 

[wisdomandtreasures]

No, unless they are willing to fork over $5-7000 to replace the floor when a spill happens or help get rid of the ants that will swarm within hours (we are in the country and last summer woke up to thousands of ants because someone didn't wipe off the honey bottle when they put it away). If someone is VERY sick, then they can take a water bottle to bed, but it's not a regular occurrence. 

[alisoncooks]

Not really. Occasionally, the kids will have friends over and I’ll make myself scarce and eat in my room while watching television.  

[Soror]

33 minutes ago, Harriet Vane said:

We eat anywhere and everywhere. I do ask that dishes not be left all over the place, though, and crumbs be ruthlessly dealt with immediately. 

Same here. I expect dishes to be put away and rooms to be kept reasonably clean but I don't have rules about where you can and can't eat.

Dh and I don't eat in our rooms because we don't like crumbs in our bed (and my room is too small for any furniture except dressers, nightstand, and bed)--- The only exception is if one of us is really, really feeling sickly. We don't have a tv in our room so we don't watch tv in bed but neither of us is the type to snack and watch tv anyway so that really wouldn't matter.

2 minutes ago, wisdomandtreasures said:

No, unless they are willing to fork over $5-7000 to replace the floor when a spill happens or help get rid of the ants that will swarm within hours (we are in the country and last summer woke up to thousands of ants because someone didn't wipe off the honey bottle when they put it away). If someone is VERY sick, then they can take a water bottle to bed, but it's not a regular occurrence. 

What floors do you have that they ruin with a spill? I have site-finished hardwood everywhere upstairs except the kitchen and bathrooms and it is really not a big deal if things are spilled. We had a heavy-duty finish put down so we just have to mop it up (granted that is annoying because it seems there are always spills after you mop!). 

[1234]

We’ve never had any rules about food/drink in certain rooms. I didn’t have any rules about it growing up either. We eat and drink wherever we want. We’ve never had any issues with bugs or them leaving their rooms gross either though.

[Amy in NH]

Yes, but only once they reached their late teens AND proved to be responsible with it.

When they were toddlers and preschoolers, they were only allowed to have water away from the table.  Combined with washing their hands and face before they left the table, we never had sticky messes around the house.  When they were school-age, we would sometimes have a "picnic" on a blanket in another room.

Edited February 15, 2023 by Amy in NH

[ddcrook]

No. We eat in the kitchen and dining room.

[wisdomandtreasures]

2 minutes ago, Soror said:

What floors do you have that they ruin with a spill?

At our last house we had linoleum in the bathrooms and I think it was called engineered hardwood (just a thin layer of real wood on top). My children couldn't be bothered to dry off in the tub and then step out onto a bath mat so both bathrooms had to be completely replaced. They also would dump stuff all over the floor instead of in the sink when loading the dishwasher and then not wipe it up, so half the kitchen floor warped and needed to be replaced only 2 years after putting it in. In our new house, some cheapo fake wood in most of the house and tile in the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room. My water bottle got knocked over recently and spilled in the living room and I didn't notice for a little while. Maybe half an hour? But in just that short time, it made the seams/edges of the boards warp so there's a section about 2-3 feet long and 6 inches wide where the floor is raised and buckled. 

[J-rap]

When children were young, no.  As they got into high school and were sometimes rushing around between school, activities, part-time jobs, etc., they might gobble down a quick meal in their bedrooms as they were getting ready.

But otherwise, mealtime together at the table was and is always the norm.  Or, if someone has to eat earlier or later than everyone else for some reason, they'll still eat at the table, even if by themselves.  (It's not a rule, it's just what everyone seems to like to do!)  My dh and I only eat in the bedroom if one of us is sick!  I don't like food crumbs in the bedroom.

Of course if adult kids are visiting and working remotely in a bedroom, they can certainly eat in their bedroom office if they choose!  But they usually don't like to do that.

[Shelydon]

No. All eating is done in the kitchen or outside. No food anywhere else in the house. 

[MercyA]

We only eat in bedrooms when sick. I don't like the idea of crumbs in the bed or food getting spilled on comforters.

We usually eat in our home office, at the kitchen bar, or at the dining room table. We eat snacks in the living room while we watch tv. 🙂

ETA: DD is 14. Little kids eat only in the kitchen or dining room.

Edited February 15, 2023 by MercyA

[Amethyst]

We didn’t allow it. But what has happened is we’ve had some younguns move back home. And when they were living on their own, they would eat on their beds. So, yes, it happens some. Fortunately they’re generally pretty responsible. And have learned a hard lesson once or twice when they’ve spilled a drink on their bed and suddenly had laundry to do. 

[Boymama5]

We don’t allow it but that hasn’t stopped it. 

[knitgrl]

For children, this is a hard no. If they are sick, they usually camp out in the living room, where we don't usually allow food (excepting popcorn on movie night or for sickness). Dh and I generally do not eat in the bedroom except on New Year's Eve, and then it is cheese and grapes and champagne. Or if one of us is really sick. Maybe on Father's Day I bring him coffee in bed, but that's about it.

[rebcoola]

We don't have rules around where to eat food. Teens often eat in their bedrooms.

[73349]

No food upstairs (unless you're so sick I'm bringing you, like, applesauce pouches in bed). We eat at the table. I occasionally bring my lunch or a snack into the living room.

[Melissa B]

Yes, every day.

[Wheres Toto]

dh and I don't eat in our bedrooms but the kids do, pretty much all the time.   We have a very small house so it's not hard to make sure dishes wind up back in the kitchen.  

[BusyMom5]

We do not eat outside of the kitchen.  Water is okay for the older ones, but not the younger ones.  The only exception is DH might have a yogurt or something at night.  

We also do not eat in our car- water only in a sealed container.  

I dont have time or energy to clean up that type of mess!  

[sweet2ndchance]

Living room, dining room or kitchen only (it's all one big room anyways, open floor plan). No food in bedrooms, water is ok.

[LucyStoner]

There’s no rule against it but generally speaking, unless someone is sick, eating here always happens in the dining room or living room.  

[momto3innc]

We don’t have any rules about food. My kids  are also older teens so it’s just not something on my radar to check at their ages. I honestly can’t think of  time it’s been an issue with bugs/mess (typed while eating a snack in bed 😊).

[gardenmom5]

No.  Water is allowed.   Other things, maybe,  depending upon how ill the person is.

[Arcadia]

My husband has dinner in his bedroom when he has conference calls in the evenings or if our kids have online classes. We don’t have rules for food so basically we can be eating in the kitchen , living room or bedroom. Our dining room is used as a store room so our dining table is in the living room.

[Kela]

Are they supposed to? No. But judging by the wrappers and bowls I find scattered around, people most assuredly do eat in the bedrooms. Although their names are "Nobody" and "Not Me".

[Rachel]

We don’t have a rule about bedrooms, but no one eats in them. I do drink my coffee in my room. I don’t mind water bottles in rooms either. 
 

We pretty much only eat at the dining room table if everyone is home for a meal or the kitchen table if someone is gone. On rare occasions we will do a movie night in the living room with popcorn or pizza. But we got a new dog last summer and she’s always in our faces when we have food. It’s easier to eat at the table.  You can easily see our tv from the kitchen so it’s not that inconvenient. 

[BlsdMama]

Do they? Or are they supposed to? 😒 

The girls are great. Oh? A house rule you say? Not a problem. 
 

The boys? The 18yo eats all over the basement, his room, the living room, etc. 

The 8yo? So I have a hospital bed right? Crank that baby upright, crawl behind, take remote with you, slant it back and you have a hideout! 😏 William is Jeremy the Crow from the Rats of Nimh but especially collects sweets with whiny wrappers based on the stash we found yesterday. 

[Arctic Bunny]

We are firmly in the absolutely not, the idea would never occur. I’ve read the thread. I’m open to new ideas. But nope, can’t do it, sorry!

[Brittany1116]

Never the children, but I have been known to take a snack to my room if I needed to... hide.

[wendyroo]

Almost all eating happens in the kitchen or the dining/school room. DH and I will also eat in the carpeted living room, but the kids are only allowed to do so on special occasions with supervision. My kids all have special needs and more or less no executive function skills - they cannot and will not limit mess or clean up after themselves.

Only water bottles are allowed in bedrooms.

[katilac]

I really like to eat in bed, so yes, it's allowed, lol 

The kids didn't do it when they were super young, but I was always easy about letting them have snacks while watching tv, because movies require chocolate and popcorn. 

[Bambam]

I did not allow eating in bedrooms. However, when one child had suspected COVID in March 2020, you bet I let her eat in the bedroom. We banished her to that room! 

When kids were young and through middle school, they could only eat in kitchen and at dining table - or outside.  When they hit high school, we did allow eating some things in our game room as well, but never bed rooms (until we had the plague!) Now that everyone is an adult, sometimes when the kids are home, we all sit in the living room and eat there. 

I spent quite a bit of time with my oldest reinforcing where she could eat/drink and where she couldn't. Could she have one foot in kitchen and one in the living room? No. Could she have half a foot in the living room and still drink? No. Could she have her toes in the living room with the rest of her in the kitchen? No, All of you must be in the kitchen in order to eat or drink. I know many thought I was crazy, but my carpet looked like new when we moved when the oldest was 8. The furniture did too. All spills and messes happened in that kitchen where it was super easy to clean up.