Nothing in wood is going to hold up to nail polish, pen and paint. For that you need a metal table you can scrape. If your topcoat is peeling, then you had improper prep or some kind of solvent spilled on it. Re-sand it fully, make sure you tack it with a Mineral Spirits scrub after sanding, then use several coats of brushable polyurethane on the top, That's the best you will be able to do. Consider getting a round table pad that you consider disposable for doing things like paint and nail polish atop the table.

I agree with a table pad for now. We had 5 kids in 4.5 years (yes, there’s a set of twins) and I soon realized I had scrubbed the finish off of our wood table when our kiddos were still young. Our table was very long and rectangular, so I got some fabric in a color that coordinated with our decor, and I wrapped that tight to the table securing it with duct tape on the underside of the table. (LOL! Don’t judge, I was desperate.) Then I would periodically buy several yards of clear vinyl from the fabric store and put that on top of the fabric, also duct taping it to the underside of the table. I would change out the vinyl as needed. I used that method for probably 6 or 7 years, until I felt that the youngest ones were old enough, and then I refinished the entire table again. That vinyl was always super easy to clean (or replace as needed) and I wasn’t always having to scrub in between the cracks where the table leaves were. I probably replaced the vinyl about twice a year. Because the table was solid wood, refinishing it once that stage was past was no problem! That table lives on! Our children are all grown and flown now, but our 3 boys (early to mid 20’s) all share a rented home together and they now have that table and chairs, and it still looks great. Hubby and I bought a new dining set after we built our forever home.... thankfully, this one is also solid wood because hubby dropped a heavy tool on it before it was even 6 months old.... grrrrrrr.... so now it needs refinishing as well. I can’t win! LOL!

Oh! Or you can refinish it to it’s former glory, and then top it with glass cut to size. Though that is more expensive and glass scratches easily.

I had an oak table top in the kitchen when my daughters were little (I switched to a square wood table when they were older - but not because anything was wrong with the oak table top - I just was tired of the oak). My girls used our island for homework + any type of art projects - but my sister's daughters used her NEW wooden table for a nail polish "party" one summer afternoon - the remover immediately ate through the top coat!

You should definitely follow the advice that you've received from The Keeping Room (he is a furniture EXPERT - especially re: how to care for leather furniture - I believe he recently closed his furniture store after many years).

If you don't have any other place for kids + messy stuff besides this table - having a vinyl table cover (as suggested by skmom) is a great idea. It wipes easily + can be folded and stored. I wouldn't want to have it on my table top except when needed. I don't think having meals = needing it. If you have an issue with crumbs in the cracks, it's easy to quickly vacuum them. I didn't protect my oak table (or my other wood table) other than an quick cleaning after a meal.

I am actually getting ready to refinish my oak table to use it again in my kitchen after my renovation is completed. The top still looks absolutely fine (even after being used up at college for a few years) - I just want to change the stain color. As long as the right prep work is done + a good top coat used, it should hold up to meals + homework (unless it involves paint and/or super glue!)

No wood table is meant to stand up to pen and nail polish. Consider whether you want to use this table or another or restrict the kinds of activities your kids do on it. Table pads and covers are disappointing though practical. Another option is to let this become a beater table. Use it, let is get stained in all manners and refinish it when they are grown.