My husband and I only eat breakfast together on the weekends. He wakes up a lot earlier than I have to. Sometimes we don't get to eat dinner together, but I do sit down at the table with him while he eats.

Perhaps it's the Vegemite! ;-)

We don't have that here in Texas, but same drill here...everyone in a hurry to do their thing.

When our children were young ( 25-40 years ago) we did eat breakfast and dinner together! Dinner was better for conversation as several of us were grumpy in the mornings. Now that we are alone and retired, my husband and I arise at different times so never eat together except at dinner.

They say it's important for families to come together and share a meal and there's value in that. I also think it's important to feel relaxed at home and sometimes, people eat and sleep by different schedules or physical needs.

When I was growing up, meals were very structured. Dinner was at 5:00 sharp and you'd better be there and eat a hearty plateful because mom worked hard putting a nice meal together for everyone. I appreciated that, but there were times when I wasn't hungry.

I don't believe structured meals are always healthy or that eating together necessarily plays a role in strengthening relationships. Meals aren't a prerequisite for bonds of the heart -- they're moments we all share, each in our own way, hopefully enjoying the art of great cooking and appreciating the gift of nourishment.

Christi, on behalf of Thos. Baker

My husband is retired and I still work, but we eat every meal together every day! I am happy to say it is a family tradition that we've passed onto our sons.

Only on Sunday mornings....too darn busy the rest of the week!

Does eating at the office count?

My partner and I work our morning schedules around the 20 minute sit-down breakfast that we absolutely have to eat together. 10 years on, it's habit now. The day feels weird when we don't eat breakfast and dinner together!

Does driving to work with your mum and eating breakfast count? i think it would because we are sitting.

Sunday is adventurous-brunch day with my loved ones!

Yes on Sundays. Work days, no.

Unfortunately it gets more difficult the older kids get. At least find a time where the whole family can spend 'quality' time together.

Growing up in a family of 7, we ate breakfast and dinner together every single day, all of us. The idea of mom having to cater to different schedules or fixing it ourselves was just unheard of. We ate when she served it or we didn't eat. Now as an adult, its just husband and me but its still very important to eat together. I love to cook and he loves to eat so it works well :)

However, we had no children living with us so our schedules were probably much less hectic than most families. We also both worked at the same company for 28 years, so we were able to eat breakfast, dinner AND lunch together every day. Now being retired, we still do.

At the weekend, yes. We've actually started taking breakfast to the beach/park on Sundays – such a nice way to start the day!

Whenever my family gets together, we sit for breakfast, and supper. On weekends we also sit for lunch. The rest of the time, I eat breakfast alone since I am single. I usually sit in front of the tv for breakfast so I can watch the news and catch the weather forecast and local traffic report.

Jenny - you win - that sounds marvellous!

Yes absolutely! We eat sit down breakfasts, often crepes or pancakes on feast days or birthdays, cooked lunch around the table, cooked dinner. Other times its just our normal breakfast or sometimes french toast or eggs and beans.

We eat most of our meals at the dining table. Breakfast, lunch, dinner... keeps the house a lot tidier with little kids! We share a bowl of nachos and a movie night on saturdays in the loungeroom. I have an eat in kitchen, but I would much rather a separate dining room/area! Its tricky to use the table to prepare and then clear it and set it. I like using nice crockery ( even if I only bought it at the opshop) even the kids have nice cups and plates, not plastic. They like the ritual of having a nicely laid table, a full pot of tea at breakfast, cups and saucers just as much as I do.. My youngest is 15months and insists on having a cup and saucer also with 'tea' (milk). I found him the cutest little teacup at the opshop for 50c.

I love the way it gets us all in step with each other and creates a family rhythm. But we are a stay at home family with a slow life approach. Mealtimes are the pulse of our day.

I love our family meals!

Yes, on days off only.