*name that tune? and where have I heard that soundtrack?*
Back to the subject at hand..I need your opinion or advice aren't you flattered because it seems ms."know it all doesn't know it all"...;0)
You see I'm saying NO an awful lot lately to my kids about eating after dinner and right before bedtime. Whatever is going on, this has become a nightly occurrence around here and it's not just one or two it's all three of them.
Usually I'll offer fruit or a snack like item but when the cupboards get bare and the kitchen's been closed they become more persistent even to the point of tears and I'm left thinking "am I policing this to much?"
So I've got to know, what do you or did you do when your kids whom had dinner and didn't eat it all then wait until right before bedtime to tell you they are hungry?
Did you use this as lesson to "clean your plate" OR Do you make concessions?
I would like to hear others approach to this...rerun every night.
Thanks!
Monday
I'm mean...I'm mean... I'm mean, you know what I mean?
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7 comments:
I'm sorry that I can't comment from experience...my little ones aren't old enough for this yet!
Are they asking for something specific - a snack they would rather eat than dinner - or will they eat the fruit you are offering? If they'll eat the healthy snack you're offering, maybe one of them is growing, and the other two are just trying to get something too, so as not to be left out. If they're trying to get dessert or something, perhaps they're just conspiring to get some sweets!
If it were me, I would give them two choices for their snack (and make them BORING choices). If they don't want either of those, I would just tell them that the kitchen is closed. If they're genuinely hungry, they'll eat what you offer them...
...I think. Good luck!
oh, I'm a meanie too.... A meanie whose trying to alleviate the need to be mean. First off, I try to give them very little portions and not force them to eat more than a smidgeon of something they find distasteful (they are not picky, so it's not like this is coming up all the time, just each of them have one thing they find distasteful, for one it's mushrooms, another tomatoes, etc.)
If they choose to not finish that small first serving they understand it is at the expense of eating later (they would ask for food 10 minutes later). I don't force them to finish their seconds, but again, we try to avoid wase by keeping the servings small and promoting clearing the plate.
If they tell me they are hungry right before bed (even if they've had a night snack they sometimes still do this!) I say, yep... you're hungry for breakfast, so the faster you get into bed and fall asleep the faster it will arrive. LOL! You got nothin' on me in the mean department sweetheart.... if it makes you feel any better....
thanks for your comment, you always encourage me and give me umph to keep truckin' along... (((hugs)))
Prairie Chick above said it well! I'm one of those mean mamas, too. Now, the exception would be my teenaged son - who eats, almost literally, all day. He often needs a bedtime snack despite the large dinner he's eaten. Even then I insists he eats healthy food - most often a bowl of non-sugary cereal, or a pb&j sandwich.
Like Prairie Chick, my kids sometimes go to bed "hungry" if their desire to snack at night is directly related to not eating at dinner.
Medical facts prove, they won't starve before morning!
Blessings!
You described our evenings exactly! :)
I usually say NO. (Remember, I lost my Cool Mom badge a long time ago. ha.)
If it's a persistent problem, I'll save their supper plate. When they want something to eat later, they have the option of finishing their meal or nothing.
If it's here and there, most of the time a glass of milk does the trick.
(you don't have the name/url option any more in the comment section!)
http://www.tamragirl.com
Oh I am mean right there with you. Normally they eat rather early and then they eat a little more. So when Little Logan ask for something else to eat, I normally tell him, "ok, but it can't be sugary and you have to fix it yourself." Ya know come to think of it, he hasn't asked lately.
well all this said I don't feel so mean now...thanks girls!
It's not mean to teach your children to appreciate the food they're given.
I give them what they need. I know they like extra things and sometimes they'll get it, but not by pleading with me after I've said no.
We have dinner, no snack (I am not talking about the teenager who ate all of their dinner and really does need food later). I have been known to save their uneaten food and give it to them for breakfast the next day. I would definitely NOT offer them anything else later.
This is not about food, it's about them manipulating you. If you gave them plenty for dinner then they don't need anything else. If they are passing up half of their dinner to beg for a snack later....that's the foolishness that is bound up in the heart of a child. They need you to re-direct their sin nature. You just tell them no. You're not mad. You're not explaining anything to them. The only explanation they need is that you love them and God uses you to take care of them. The end.
Your tough love and leftover casserole for breakfast for a few days will stop this problem.
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