Guilt-Free Approaches to Family Meal Time

Making family meal time happenWith Family Meals Quality Is Greater Than QuantityOnly have time for one family meal per week with your family?Make it a good one and something your kids will remember.Maybe you can get out the fancy dishes.Maybe you can rotate through everyone in your family’s favorite dinners.Maybe you can plan fun and interactive menus that everyone can help make.The point is, if you work on making that one meal special and memorable family meals can become a cherished memory for your kids, even if they didn’t happen every day.Simplify Your MealsI really can’t say the word “simplify” enough when it comes to family meals.Maybe you don’t have time for a michelin 5 star meal, but you do have a small nugget of time you could all eat together.Consider that the togetherness factor is more important than what’s on the table.If it’s waffles, grilled cheese, spaghetti and frozen meatballs…the key is that you are together.If we can let go a little bit of that all-or-nothing mentality we can start to enjoy time together more often even if it’s a little less than perfect.Planning Is KeyI am a huge advocate for a weekly planning session to keep my life and my family’s life in order.Scheduling in a weekly planning session will allow you to clearly see the pockets of time you have and choose the most realistic days for family meals (and the days that maybe everyone has to fend for themselves).It’s important to include your kids and spouse in your planning session so everyone is on the same page and you don’t miss anyone’s activities.Choose A Different Family Meal TimeWho said that family meal time has to be at dinner time? Does breakfast work better for you? Get up a little earlier and try for family breakfast instead.Real life isn’t perfect, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make small changes to make our goals work for us. Even if you have to be a little unorthodox, you can totally make family meals happen.Create Habits, Even If They Aren’t PerfectI’ve said it a hundred times, but this all-or-nothing mentality that most of us moms deal with on a regular basis is killing all of our dream.Just because we can’t do EVERYTHING doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do something.So work to create the habit of family dinners with whoever is there. If dad’s not there because of a work schedule, or some of your kids are at activities it’s okay. You’ve created the habit.And as seasons of life change you can welcome those absentees back to the table with loving arms because you’ve created the habit of having a family table.Let Go Of Mealtime BattlesEllyn Satter’s division of responsibility in feeding says in a nutshell, YOU decide what, where, and when your child eats.Your child is in charge of if they eat and how much they eat.In other words, and in the words of the great Queen ElsaLet it go.Stop with the dinnertime bribes and recognize that you did your job by providing a meal and let your child take care of the rest.Sometimes they won’t eat. Sometimes they’ll whine and complain. But you did your job by providing a meal, and you can just ignore it.Yes it’s challenging, yes kids not eating is a huge trigger for us, but as you work to trust your child the table will become a safe place for them and they will eventually start trying foods.It’s a process. It’s not a linear process. They may eat broccoli one day and hate it the next, but when we trust our kids, they will become happy eaters eventually.And you can focus on what’s on your plate, not what’s on theirs and actually enjoy your family meal time when you let the battle go.