In my family growing up, Dad walked in the door at 5:55. At 6 pm, the evening news was on. He’d have a cocktail while the National news was on. Dinner was at 7.
And if my brothers worked late that day, we held dinner until whenever they got finished with their work day (blue collar family business.) Dinner at 8 was not unheard of.
Fast forward to my life with late-working husband and children. I wanted us to eat dinner together, as it was when I grew up. Hubby worked 12 hour days. Gone at 6:30, home at 6:30. (We lived less than 5 minutes from his job, so maybe 11-1/2 hour days). Dinner was usually around 7.
All the while, I watched our other neighbors have dinner at 5 pm. It perplexed me. Not remotely doable for us.
Kids in bath after dinner, then bed. Bedtime was 8 pm. It was as soon as I could handle. Sometimes it would sneak into 8:30. As they got older and had projects, it turned into 9 pm bedtime. Thankfully, our youngest just wanted to go to sleep. Our oldest was a night owl, like me. Always pushing the boundaries. The middle kid was somewhere in between the two.
My husband worked long hours, but when he was home, he was present. Lots of conversations with the family. Everyone.
These days? We are empty nesters. He still works until 6 pm (if not later), every day. After that, we take a walk to decompress from his workday. Some days we talk about his work and what’s going on. Other days, he doesn’t want to discuss it, so we talk about my day. I guess you can say I’m retired, but I work everyday around the house and yard, doing yard work and housework, depending what’s needed. I’m a decent Jack of all trades.
Dinner is usually around 7 or 7:30 depending on the complexity of what I’m making, or if he’s firing up the smoker. I enjoy making meals from scratch. They taste better, cost less, plus you know what’s in it.
We are both a bit of night owls. Usually head to bed around 11. Sometimes it’s later. Rarely is it earlier, though on occasion that does happen. We get up around 7 or 7:30. He works from home now, so he can be “in the office” by 8. If he starts without coffee or breakfast, I make it and bring it to him. We usually only eat two real meals, with snacks like cheese or fruit during the day if needed.
Works for us.
Sounds good.
Mom used to get off work at five and be home by 5:30, she generally would want to take a shower and we would have dinner by six. We kids would go our rooms by eight with lights off at nine. I think that was so mom and dad could have some time before he had to leave for work at about half past nine. 6:30 was breakfast.
He would get dinner, she would make breakfast and pack our lunches. During the summer he would make us lunch.
Honestly, looking back in it I am not sure how either of them got enough sleep.