I don’t think its polite to read at the family meal table, ever.
One of the rules at the Academies is “No reading material in the wardroom.”
I came from a family that read at the table. They explained that the meal is not just a place to take sustenance. It’s an opportunity for team building, esprit d’corps, communication, etc.
For families, I think its even more true. Disconnecting yourself from the conversation by pouring yourself into a book is bad form for family members. As the kids get older, the opportunities to be together as a family start to decrease, and its even more important to keep meal times ‘sacred’ as it were.
One of the rules at the Academies is “No reading material in the wardroom.”
I came from a family that read at the table. They explained that the meal is not just a place to take sustenance. It’s an opportunity for team building, esprit d’corps, communication, etc.
For families, I think its even more true. Disconnecting yourself from the conversation by pouring yourself into a book is bad form for family members. As the kids get older, the opportunities to be together as a family start to decrease, and its even more important to keep meal times ‘sacred’ as it were.
I understand your point of view but I also knew Frank is deaf and can't hear much if anything being said. His deafness already isolates and disconnects him from being able to participate in the social aspect of dining with others.
His family fully understands his inability to participate in verbal communication.