Work messages keep breaking our no-phones-while-she-eats rule

juniper_badminton_81188 Oct 2026

My partner and I agreed months ago: no phones while our daughter eats. She's 2 and copies everything. In practice, on work-from-home days, a message comes in during dinner and one of us glances at it, then the other does, and the rule quietly disappears for the evening. We're not trying to be perfect. My mother lives with us and she's noticed too, which is a little embarrassing. What's a version of this rule that survives an ordinary busy weekday?

1 comment

gentle_chai_33648 Oct 2026
Two things that worked for us. Start with one meal, not all of them. For us it was dinner only; lunch on work days we let go. And keep the phones out of reach, not face down on the table. Ours go on top of the fridge during dinner. If you have to get up to check, you mostly don't.
- juniper_badminton_81188 Oct 2026
  Dinner only is realistic. Lunch on home days is where both of us slip, so letting that go for now is a relief to hear. The fridge top I'll try. My guess is half the glances just won't happen if the phone isn't within reach.