Is it unreasonable to expect my partner to put their phone away at dinner?
The complainant says
We both work full time, so dinner is basically our only time together on weekdays. My partner scrolls through their phone for most of it. Not work, just videos and group chats. I've asked for a no-phones rule at the table and they agreed, but it lasts about two days.
Last night I put their phone in the fruit bowl, in the other room, and said it could come back after pudding. They said I was treating them like a child.
The other side says the partner, as the complainant tells it
They say they're listening while scrolling, and that dinner is when they finally get to catch up on messages after a long day. They're fine with no phones on weekends but not every single night. They also point out I watch TV while we eat on Fridays.
Jury discussion (4 comments)
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The fruit bowl is sending me.
Nobody is listening while scrolling. Nobody.
Treating them like a child is the phone in the fruit bowl. Acting like a child is agreeing to a rule and breaking it in two days.
The Friday TV thing is a fair point though. Maybe the rule is no screens at all, both of you.