When I was growing up, I used to read quite a lot. I wasn't allowed to bring my book to the dinner table - no matter how suspenseful the chapter or how fascinat

When I was growing up, I used to read quite a lot. I wasn't allowed to bring my book to the dinner table - no matter how suspenseful the chapter or how fascinating the subject. Of course my childhood wasn't perfect; every night wasn't a talkative social family dinner. I appreciated the rule even back then, though I wanted to read my book it was easy to see that me doing so was taking something away from the other people at the table. A little intangible, but quite clear. I can't help but wonder if in the many countries & cultures, and across many generations, what various expectations there are for family time together, and what challenges and barriers were in the way. "No lens polishing at the dinner table!" might have been said to some young astronomer hundreds of years ago. Mobile phones are a great source of information (something I've been fascinated with my whole life), but sometimes seem to replace rather than supplement social interactions. While I can see why people would want a "tech free dinner", I've also had the joy of a "facetime dinner" with friend's grandchildren who live far away. It was a wonderful and natural thing for the child involved, because it added to the social harmony, rather than isolating parts of it.