Wonderful! At the risk of sounding like I'm tooting my own horn, that 2.5-hour meal I referenced was bookended by a 2-hour drive each way. Just a bit of music in the car, but plenty of great conversation with our family and my parents - observing the world around them, asking questions, singing along, being silly together. It was a tremendously cup-filling afternoon/evening with nary a screen in sight.
I love your point about social interactions, too - we'll tiptoe around certain subjects occasionally, but for the most part I love when they (especially my oldest, but only because my youngest is still coming out of the toddler phase) listen in and ask questions and try to understand what we're chatting about. It always reminds me of being a kid and thinking it was super cool to be able to hang with the grown-ups and learn about whatever they're chatting about.
I love your point about social interactions, too - we'll tiptoe around certain subjects occasionally, but for the most part I love when they (especially my oldest, but only because my youngest is still coming out of the toddler phase) listen in and ask questions and try to understand what we're chatting about. It always reminds me of being a kid and thinking it was super cool to be able to hang with the grown-ups and learn about whatever they're chatting about.