Dinner Together: The Adventure Begins
If there's anything close to a magic bullet that gives a kid a leg up on life, the experts seem to agree it's sitting down, regularly, to dinner with his family. And in our house, we haven't been doing that.
Night meetings, late work, activities and dietary differences have led us to the course of least resistance: Dinner for the kids is around 6, consisting often of grilled-cheese sandwiches, scrambled eggs, macaroni and cheese, or make-your-own pizzas. Dinner for the grown-ups often doesn't happen until around 9 p.m., after kids are in bed. That usually involves more varied fare -- and a well-deserved glass of wine.
Now, for the health of our family and the edification of those who read this blog, we're going to change that at least once a week. We're going to eat Dinner Together, and we're going to at least try to eat the same thing. In the spirit of your favorite reality show, I'm going to mercilessly report on the results. And if it doesn't work out so well for us, at least you have a new recipe.
First let me introduce the dramatis personae:
The would-be-vegetarian daughter: Leah, 6, is a lovely girl who's very concerned about the way animals are treated to make our food. I'd be happy to provide her with a vegetarian diet, but there's one problem: She won't eat vegetables. And she eats only one fruit happily: applesauce. At least they're adding Vitamin C to it. (Thank God she's not allergic to peanut butter.)
The sometimes adventurous son: Sam, 4, loves almost any kind of fruit, and in the right mood has been known to eat steamed shrimp, seaweed salad and spinach nuggets. But he often adopts a stance of mealtime solidarity with his sister.
The foodie parents: Given free time -- which we don't have -- we'd cook constantly in pursuit of the perfect meal. Dinnertime is a rare moment of respite in our hectic days. We wish for it to be delicious and peaceful.
So how did our first Dinner Together experiment work out? Look for a post and recipe later today. And if you have any bright ideas for how to do this, or fast-enough-for-a-weeknight recipes that you'd like me to test, please post below (or e-mail them to me.)
Wish us luck.
(Sun file photo)
Categories: Dinner Together, Food and Recipes
Comments
We have made a real effort to eat dinner as a family. My son is 3 and he's a pretty good eater. I've made a point to not cook separate meals for him and I think it's made a huge difference. My mom used to cook individual meals for me and my sister. We were hugely picky eaters. I've since broadened my culinary horizons, but it was a struggle. I think it also helps to let your kids "help" cook. That way they're invested in the meal and hopefully they're learning something so they can feed themselves in college.
Posted by: leeann | February 20, 2008 11:32 AM
My family of four eats dinner together nearly every night, regardless of schedule. I find that dinner time is the time I can catch-up with my six-year-old twins on their school day, as well as a time for my husband and I to catch up. For us, dinner time is a time to teach the kids the manners associated with dining together (please and thank you, asking to be excused from the table, trying new foods, engaging in conversation, etc.) I am unsure why dinner time together would not be a priority for every family and just part of the natural routine.
Posted by: K.M | February 20, 2008 3:54 PM
I stumbled across this blog based on the title of this discussion. We have two children. The oldest has served as a White House intern and is in his first year of law school. The younger is working towards a Masters in Special Ed. They are responsible for their own successes, but my wife and I made sure WE ATE DINNER TOGETHER EVERY NIGHT. There are no short cuts here.
Welcome, mdlrvrmuncher: I've enjoyed your comments on Dining@Large. Now, I'd like to know what your most successful dishes were during your dinners together. Recipes to share?
Posted by: mdlrvrmuncher | February 24, 2008 7:33 PM