so i gave them control….
or at least that is what they think. Let me explain.
Lately, I’ve been PULLING my hair out over the issue of food with our children. The reality is, if I let them, they would stuff them selves on goldfish and pretzels all day. We do not eat out a ton, and I don’t have tons of junkie snacks in the house, so I had the false idea that they were eating a balanced amount of all food groups. I was wrong. Now, I have 2 choices, roll over and give up saying what is the use, or rethink our previous plan so that our little guys start to get the reality of this. I will be honest and say, I was about to roll over and throw my hands up in frustration because the simple “Eat whatever is put in front of you” family rule, wasn’t producing the actions we wanted.
My friend uses a chart for her son, to keep track of his snacks during the day, so I took a cue from her, and modified it a bit for my brood and have come up with a mini science lesson all in one little task. I told the children that I was going to teach them how to manage themselves when it comes to food, because one day, Mommy wasn’t going to be right next to them to show them what to do, so they needed to learn a good plan so they could stay healthy and strong as long as they live. I sat down with the children, giving them a detailed description of what are good foods to eat, what they do for us, and not so good foods we can eat and what they can do to us, along with a little talk about what it can do to our teeth. I then presented them with a little experiment that we were going to conduct for the next 30 days, to see how we feel and how we act based on what we are giving our body for fuel.
We created a foods chart, that they must monitor what they are eating by checking off in each column, fruits, vegetables, proteins, snacks, along with any observations they discover about how they are feeling during the day. Now when they say , “Mom, I am hungry I need something to eat.” , I say “Go look at your chart and find something appropriate.”(I help our youngest with the chart but the older two work at it mostly on their own) My daughter who is the picky one of the bunch, is eating everything with joy and a twinkle in her eye because somehow it hasn’t become a battle between her and I, it is simply a decision she has to make based on guidelines I have given her. (Note to self: remember this as life moves along with this one!)
I have noticed a huge change in their overall attitude. They are not as cranky or seemingly as hungry all the time. They are still required to try new things I make, and do the best they can to eat what has been put in front of them, but somehow a shift has occurred among them that makes the whole situation much more enjoyable. I know as an adult, for me, there is a HUGE correlation in my attitude and how I feel based on what I am eating, so it must be true for them as well.
Sometimes, it is just a little tweak, and a previously challenging family exercise becomes fun.
Peace to all “tweakers” today~
