How to Have Family Dinner: Six Rules

(illustration by Laurie Sandell)

Rule 1: If you have a kid under 3, don't bother.

Tending to a toddler at the table -- his milk spilling, his food dropping, his inability to articulate how multidimensional your marinara is -- it all takes its toll on the rest of the diners's satisfaction, especially the cook's. You won't be able to concentrate on any kind…