Do you have a TV in your kitchen?

[Elilly]

Currently, our kids watch cartoons (PBS) in the morning before school. So, they end up eating their breakfast in our living room. Our furniture and new rug are paying the price. So, I was thinking about getting a TV in the kitchen to solve this dilemma. I'm just curious how many of us have a TV in our kitchens.
ETA: we will not watch TV during dinner, this is only for ease of a breakfast routine.

[kristac]

No we don't do any meals in front of the tv. Always at the table as a family (or whoever is home). I do wish I could see one from the sink sometimes to take the drudgery out of doing dishes.

[ilfaith]

We have an open floor plan/great room set up, so our kitchen opens to our family room. I can see the television from the kitchen (and will often do dishes while watching Jeopardy) but you cannot really see the tv from any of the eating areas. Our dining area is off to the side, and the barstools at our bar face away from the television.

[sewarsh]

My DH had a great little spot picked out for a tv in our kitchen. i am SO NOT interesetd in that. its one of the only places we can sit with the family and not be distracted by TV or other electronics. that's how i feel about it...meals are family time, not tv time.

[daniele_ut]

Yes, but we don't eat dinner in front of the TV EVER. We eat at our dining room table which is not in the kitchen. I use the TV in the kitchen when I am cooking, and the kids usually watch it in the morning while I am getting dressed as they eat breakfast.

[AJP]

One of the things I miss most about our old house was that I could see the tv from anywhere in my kitchen. Made having breakfast and making dinner nicer to watch the news. Our kitchen is pretty open to the family room now, but the tv is on a wall that I can't see from the kitchen. I toyed with getting a tiny undercab mount tv for the kitchen but decided to skip it.

[MelissaTC]

Open floor plan so family room and kitchen are open to each other.

[mommysammi]

Not right now. I can see us with one when I have a larger eat-in kitchen. It won't be for the kids but for me to watch something while preparing meals or watching it to prepare a meal.

[hillview]

We don't. Kids watch an hr or less (DS1 sometimes 1.5 hrs) at night after dinner. It is in my office. My parents do and did growing up.
/hillary

[DietCokeLover]

We did up until about a week ago. I moved it out so I could paint and just never put it back. 95% of the time I like it being gone, but I miss it when I am cooking or washing dishes.

[wellyes]

Personally, in that scenario, I'd just let them keep eating breakfast in the living room. TV in the dining area can be a slippery slope (not for you, I mean for them wanting it on for other meals).

[Happy 2B mommy]

The little tv in the kitchen is the one we watch the most, although we usually don't have it on while eating lunch or dinner (breakfast is a different story). We spend most of our time in the kitchen/dining area, the tv in the living room is often unplugged for several days/weeks at a time.

[AngelaS]

We have one in the kitchen--it's attached under the cabinet and I love it. I turn it on to the news while making dinner or to GMA in the morning while I tidy up from breakfast. We don't have cable so it only gets about 2 channels.

You know what works best for your family. :)

[DebbieJ]

for breakfast I make a smoothie for DS (frozen fruit, protein powder, yogurt) and put it in a cup with a lid and a straw. He sits on the couch and watches Disney or whatever. Otherwise he would never eat breakfast. He eats WAY too slow to try cereal or anything else in the morning and still get to school on time.

[maestramommy]

No, we don't. We have one TV in our family room, and our kids already watch enough TV as it is.

[KrisM]

We can see our TV from the kitchen, but the kids eat breakfast and lunch on barstools and their backs are to the TV, so it's off. Dinner is in the dining room and no TV. We don't have a kitchen table.

[doberbrat]

yes but its for grownups to be able to prepare meals etc. no seating

[DrSally]

I voted that we can see the tv from the kitchen, but we do not watch tv while we eat. Way too distracting for the kids and takes their mind off of eating/paying attention to their body's signals, I believe.

ETA: OP, I wasn't commenting on your choice to have your kids watch tv while eating breakfast. I just read the title of your post and then replied. On non-preschool days, DS watches a show when he gets up and then eats breakfast. I also don't allow most food in the living room (except a cup of dry cereal for DD's snack) b/c of ants.

[newg]

I said we can see it from the kitchen.....but really only in certain parts of the kitchen.

[MamaSnoo]

We do. I like to watch while cooking if I am in there alone, or in the am's after DH is at work and DD is not up yet. We do not watch while we are eating.

[SnuggleBuggles]

We don't have time in our morning for TV and we also don't have an eat in kitchen so no reason for us. I don't need a tv while cooking and cleaning (though I suppose more chores would get done in there if I have a DVR and could watch my shows in peace!).

Beth

[JBaxter]

No TV, computer or video games before school. I also dont allow food in the living room. If the kids are hungry the eat at the kitchen table or at the bar area. You can see the tv from the bar area if you turn around ( your back is to the TV)

[Ceepa]

No TV in the kitchen.

[egoldber]

We used to be able to see it from the kitchen, but when we got a flat screen and hung it on the wall, the only place it could go is the one spot it can't be seen from the kitchen :ROTFLMAO: .

My kids do sometimes have snack in the family room (adjoining the kitchen) in front of the TV. I am pretty sure DH lets at least younger DD eat her breakfast in front of the TV in the morning. I'm not there, but I don't feel like I can complain when it's his morning routine.

My kids often wake up 2-3 HOURS before they need to be at school (older DD's school doesn't start until 9:15) and many days they watch a show or an entire movie before school.

[mom_hanna]

Our kitchen is too small. There is no where to put a tv. Under the cabinet would take up too much precious counter space! But I have never had one, so I guess I don't miss it.

[Melaine]

No. I wanted one for cooking and cleaning myself, but don't want the kids to watch while eating at the table. I bought myself a portable dvd player and use it sometimes in the kitchen myself. I used to let the girls eat breakfast often at the picnic table in the living room for breakfast but we recently cut that out because we were watching too much TV and I didn't like that it had become a habit. Now I let them eat breakfast and watch TV in the living room on weekends. They are allowed to eat snacks in the living room.

[Elilly]

Thanks everyone for the responses. I must say that I am suprised that more people don't have TVs in their kitchens. That said, we just came home with a small TV for the kitchen. We're going to trial it this week and see what happens. All of this is "prep" for when I start back to work full time in May. I'm trying to make the morning routine as easy on DH as possible as I'll be at work before the kiddos even wake up.

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

We have a great room/kitchen combo (open floor plan, newer house), I love it for cleaning!

[Carrots]

I don't have on in the kitchen because we don't have the room. However, I wish we did because I would love to watch the local/national news while cooking.