If you’re a parent, dinner time is more likely to be a thorn in your side then something you’ve been waiting all day for.
Come 5 o’clock our normally angelic kids (work with me here) take on the role of the devil as they push our buttons, wrestle with each other or pull each others’ hair (and not in a playful way), all while screaming and throwing temper tantrums because they aren’t happy with what’s for dinner.
Give. Me. The. Wine [Bottle].
Between grumpy children and dwindling energy, nobody is interested in hearing their kids complain about the food or fight them over eating their vegetables. No one.
Here are some tips to help make dinner time less stressful and more fun. Keep reading for an awesome kid-friendly recipe, too!
5 Tips for a Stress-Free Family Dinner
- Snack away. Put a plate of veggies on the table and let your kids go to town while you’re making dinner. Come dinner time, encourage them to eat their veggies, but if they say no – that’s ok, you’ll already know they ate some. Parents – 1, Kids – 0
- Just make one meal. If your kids don’t want to eat what you’ve served, that’s fine, but no more making multiple meals. Start teaching them that it is ok to choose not to eat what is served, but once they leave the table there will be no more food served. Your kids will not starve themselves! Hold firm and pretty soon you will never have a fight at the table again (even if they choose not to eat it!).
- No more desserts. How many times have you threatened to take away dessert, so they’ll eat their food, or rewarded them with dessert for eating their food? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Instead, take away the expectation of dessert. It helps them create a better relationship with food (we should not associate behaviour with food, which can lead to emotional eating when they are older) and it removes the negative atmosphere and stress by removing the threat. Does that mean no desserts … ever? No, it means simply remove the expectation and add it in as a surprise sometimes, just because.
- Drop your expectations … of yourself. Often our dinner time stress comes from the pressure we feel to get our kids to eat healthy. During the younger years, our job is to be an example by making them healthy foods and by eating healthy foods ourselves. During the ages of 2-4 most kids will go through a phase of being a picky eater. If we cave and just make them something they’ll eat, we will develop a picky eater for life. If we continue to offer healthy foods for each meal, they will eventually break free of this “stage” and become more balanced eaters. So, it’s ok if they don’t eat everything you offer them as long as you continue to offer it to them!
- Remember, they’re kids. They aren’t out to get you, they aren’t trying to hurt your feelings and they aren’t master chefs critiquing your cooking skills. They are simply kids who are learning the art of independence, choices and developing taste buds. Remember – “this too shall pass”.
For more tips on helping your kids eat better, check out these articles:
10 Ways to Make Eating Healthy Easy for the Whole Family
5 ways to Get Kids to Eat More Veggies
Or try my Veggie Lovers Lasagne recipe to get them enjoying a healthy meal without complaining!
