I'm Still Eating Lunch with My Students

So there I was, sitting at a table full of 12-year-olds and munching on my turkey sandwich. Now, I know the rule book clearly states that teachers should eat alone in their classrooms or somewhere adult-y, but honestly, why bother? The cafeteria’s too loud for me anyway. Plus, these kids are hilarious, insightful, and just all-around delightful. They talk about video games, crushes on other students, and sometimes, they’ll ask me serious questions like how I deal with stress or what my favorite book is. It's moments like this that remind me why I became a teacher in the first place, to connect with these young minds. But then again, sometimes they talk about stuff that makes you go ‘huh?’, and it’s those moments where I wonder if I’m overstepping or not. Like when I mentioned wanting to take up karate because of my back issues, and suddenly everyone wants to learn it too! And the day we got distracted by a pigeon flying outside and ended up watching its little adventures for half an hour... I mean, how often does that happen? It’s like being in their world, rather than them being in mine. So here's my question: Is this totally normal? Or am I some kind of rebel with a classroom full of secret admirers?