hi S., i do think its too much to ask for, at least at that age, though of course all kids are different... i battled with this also, trying to do what i thought was right. then i read somewhere that asking a toddler to sit there for more than 15 min or so is like torture. which i guess i knew, but felt it was important for him to sit. of course it depends on the kid, but i suggest that if he cant handle it, give all of you a break, you dont want every meal to be a battle. set standards for when he wants to get up if you like, what he must try to eat, or how he asks to be excused, etc, and then let it go. i made a lot of changes to meal time when i realized that i was spending 2 hours cooking, 15 min choking down my food while fighting and begging/bargaining, then another hour cleaning up. who needs it? its more important for your family time to be enjoyable, even if its shorter, imo. i eased up on what i was making, still healthy but not so involved, so i didnt feel so bad when the kids didnt eat it. and if they eat something and are polite about it, they can go. and i dont let them stay at the table if they arent polite. and sometimes i use paper :) dinner is more about talking now, sometimes anyway, then about forcing down the food pyramid and sitting there for a half hour. better for us. and something else i have realized, it is easier to teach them to have good manners if they dont have to keep it up for as long on a daily basis. its really important to me that they can sit at a table and have good manners... i have a 1 year old, a 3 year old, and a 6 year old, and we bring them out to eat at decent restaurants all the time, family dinners, holidays, etc. and they are generally a pleasure, so we are doing something right. i know some people have their kids at the dinner table for an hour, and more power to them, but we find it better like this. you know your kid, pick your battles and dont set yourself - or him - up to fail.