Settling the Dinner Debate

Dinner time is important. It is important for the family and it is important for the child’s development.

How the food gets to the table is not as important as getting food to the table and getting everyone to the table at the same time for a meal a day.

Should parents cook more than one meal?
It doesn’t matter if parents cook, take out, cater or have a chef. The bottom line is that families should eat one meal a day together, in a civilized fashion to provide their families with a channel for communication and their children with a model of socialization.

How can busy parents feed picky eaters?
Picky eaters are less of a problem than the way parents handle picky eaters. There is no way that mom should make more than one meal at a time. This sends a message to the child that they can run the show, and children have to learn some degree of compromise as a tool that they can take out into the world.

If parents have picky eaters in their families, the trick is to provide a dinner that has an entree, two side dishes and a salad and/or bread. This way everyone has SOMETHING to eat. A child is not going to die if they only eat the salad and bread at dinner. Other meals during the day can compensate for not eating protein or calcium or whatever they miss at one meal.

If one meal a day together is not feasible, then set that as a goal, and have as many meals as possible together during a week.

In addition, invite guests to dinner. It is important for children to see that manners are not just practiced at their own homes, but at other peoples’ homes, too. Dinner time should not be a prison, but it should be a structured way to communicate and celebrate food, family, and community.