My parents both worked from the time I was in 4th grade. But we still managed to eat the family meal together in the evening most of the time.
Mom ate many cold meals because she used that time to read to the family. They were great books which we kids took a turn selecting, biographies of great Americans, The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom and others.
We didn't leave the table until the chapter was finished. We also took a turn reading (and having cold supper) to give Mom an occasional break.
The results were worth it. Every one of us went on to higher education degrees, including the graduate level and even one PhD. Best of all, not one of our brood of six grew up to be a drug addicted lazy slackard or a bed-wetting liberal. But I repeat myself.
My wife and I did the same with our brood, even though we didn't do it quite as consistently or as often as my parents did. We got the same rewarding results.
Yep. These are also the same people who think any random group of strangers living under the same roof is a “family”.