Why does homework have to damage a table. If they are painting cover the table

I would check all kinds of used furniture stores and sellers and sites. If you want the look of distressed, buy second hand and achieve that goal (you can do lots of interesting things to refinish it if you want) plus there are some added benefits:

-you keep good, useful materials out of the landfill

-you won't be as concerned about any damage done by kids and others

-you'll get a better bang for your buck; older styles are often much higher quality at a fraction of the price

-with some skill/good advice you'll be able to create a unique design for your home that will be different from anybody else

This dilemma reminds me of my b-i-l and s-i-l who have 6 kids. They ordered a brand new table from a local carpenter and he offered to distress it a bit--for $250 extra. My s-i-l just laughed and told him "we have plenty of little distressers around here, no need to pay for it. In fact, are you hiring? They would be great at it..."

Where I live in a fly over state we have a ton of local woodworker that will make custom tables for reasonable prices. Maybe look into local shops vs the mass market retailers.

I can understand wanting a table that can stand up to kids doing homework. Here's one with a simple design made by Hooker Furniture.

We love our table. It's not the most high quality but it looks great and its nice not to have to worry so much about it. The only thing is that the height of the planks vary, so to write on it you have to put something thick under it like a pad of paper.
https://www.wayfair.com/furniture/pdp/grain-wood-furniture-valerie-dining-table-grnw1016.html

Thank you all! I love the pictures and links everyone posted. They are what I am thinking I would like!
I would love to refinish something, but it seems that everything old that is of any quality gets snatched very quickly. I have tried antique stores, garage sales, online sales etc with no luck. :( I'll keep looking.
I just know with two boys (age 4 and 1.5) and all their friends over the years using this as a kitchen/dining/game/whoknowswhat table I need something that is rustic or at least something that I won't cry the first time I see a scratch! (Honestly, this is about self-preservation, I need to limit the Mommy melt down opportunities!)
Paint is always washable so that is not a concern! ;) Rule #2355 of parents...always washable paint/marker!
Thanks again!

Mine is a vintage door with glass over the top.
A granite top table would probably work well for kids too.

"Rule #2355 of parents...always washable paint/marker!"

But *never* washable crayon if you have a chewer. I learned that the hard way!