Monday, August 30, 2010
What to do, what to do?
How do you handle dinner time? My kids are starving by 5 at the latest, my husband gets home at 6:30. We have dinner at about 6:31. Which means that by 6:30 my kids have had approximately 9.2 snacks, all of which they whined out of me, or pulled on my shorts enough that I gave in. They are hungry, I get that. I want them to still be hungry at dinner time so that they will eat the roasted eggplant or whatever strange concoction I have plotted. As it is, the raisins, the peanuts, the cheese, whatever they weaseled out of me; has filled them up enough so that they aren't hungry and often in Anna's case, won't even try what I've made. We often end up bribing with dessert, which I would rather just give to them anyway. And on top of all that, they're pulling at me and whining while I'm trying to make dinner, which is about the only creative outlet I get everyday. I would like to have the whole experience be a lot more enjoyable. Now that I've typed it all out, maybe I just offer a preemptive snack at say 4:45 and stay strong until dinner time? Maybe I'll give that I try; I give the best advice :)
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6 comments:
Yeah, staying strong after a snack seems like a good thing to try. Maybe I'll have to try it. We eat dinner without dad at about 5:30 because 6:30 just pushes everything back too late.
And if there were some magical way to get him home by 5:30 I'd love to have that. It's him, not us, you see.
We're lucky that Dave gets home at 5:30 and we also eat the second he gets home. But we have a 3:00 snack (4:00 now that Isaac's in school) and nothing else until dinner except water. Sometimes they fill up on water still, but that's okay. They'll be hungry again once they pee. Good luck with the strong part. It takes some time.
hahahha :: no advice here but I was well entertained :)
from Lorena:
Yeah, the best advice is self given. I like what you wrote. Usually if I think a problem through enough to have written about it, then I have also come up with my own solution.
Sounds like you are set, but can I highly recommend the feeding expert Ellyn Satter? Google her. Buy a used book off Amazon. Her advice changed my life, seeing as so much of life revolves around feeding your child. You'll never bribe with dessert again and you'll want to marry her, which apparently you are aloud to do now, huh?
p.s. I love eggplant too!
you do give great advice. : )
eli and i always have a snack around 4 or 5 and then wait till about 8 to eat when tanner finally gets home. some days i wonder if we should eat earlier without him, but then my laziness kicks in and think about two messes i'll have to clean instead of just one... so for now, we wait.
ok, so i have no advice for you, but i was talking to emily the other day about what a great mom i thought you were and how you were the perfect blend of regulator and encourager and player and teacher and controlled and relaxed, etc. seriously. you are my favorite mom of anyone i know. i completely mean that. so i'm sure you will come up with something that is far better than what i could suggest! :) but good luck! i'm not excited for that phase!
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