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Good morning. The UK’s four Chief Medical Officers have said that children should leave their mobile phones outside their bedrooms at night, and that mealtimes should be screen free. On hearing this yesterday I agreed emphatically, and then noticed my mobile phone beside my bed and my iPad on the kitchen table. Recently I got told off by my wife for looking at my phone during a meal with friends. I was finding out the score in England’s latest test match in the West Indies. That was a mistake at every level. Clearly these guidelines shouldn’t be just for children. Dame Sally Davies commented that there was no clear evidence that our smart phones and tablets were causing young people – or anyone else – harm. But she believed a “precautionary approach” was wise. Getting enough sleep and eating meals without distraction are good things in themselves, which contribute to our health and sense of well-being. Children were also advised to put phones away when crossing the road. Phone obsessed adult pedestrians might also look where they’re going on the pavement as well. It was the reference to mealtimes which intrigued me. There are many families who do not eat together very much, particularly in the week when there’s so much going on. Even when they do, the television can be the most distracting screen. Making time to eat together uninterrupted has been an almost universal feature of family life – and I hope it remains so. But it does need some planning. As our children grew it was at mealtimes that stories were shared and opinions debated. The meal was more than mere consumption. Perhaps it’s no surprise that eating together has such a high profile in so many religions. Judaism’s continuing life and vibrancy has the been the consequence of it being so much a religion of the home and the family meal. Jesus asked to be remembered by a simple meal of bread and wine. He also promised that where just two or three gathered in his name he would be with them. Eating together is a very high form of communion in itself. When we want to get to know people better, we invite them for a meal. There’s something intimate about a shared table. It’s where we learn to make room for others in our lives. A grace or prayer beforehand underscores its significance. I may not have been the target audience for these new guidelines from our Medical Officers. But I’m going to try to implement them. And I’ll no longer risk indigestion by discovering England’s batting has collapsed again.