Surviving Meal Time
I remember the days moms…
food being flung from plastic high chairs
while streams of spilled milk dripped slowly down table legs
and bits of broccoli were hidden under napkins
as sisters bickered through the blessing.
Sound familiar to anyone? I remember those days all too well. Meal time with young kids is not for the faint of heart! On Wire Talk this week we answered questions from moms in the trenches of dinner warfare. My 3 tips to encourage you today are:
Don’t be discouraged! With picky eaters, keep in mind that taste buds change as a child grows up, keep at it. Try putting one thing on the table you know your picky eater will eat and don’t sweat the rest.
Don’t be a short order cook. Establish with each of your children that what is on the table is for dinner. They don’t have to eat it, but if they choose not to, they do not get desserts or any snacks after dinner. (Refer to #1, have one thing you know they like on their plate!)
Keep at it! Family time around the dinner table has a long term positive effect. There are nights (okay, weeks/months) when in the moment you will want to give up, but stay the course.
Keep in mind Galatians 6:9: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Family meals are a GOOD thing but they do not come easily. Keep your head up momma!