While we have an entire blog dedicated to FOOD here at Families.com, I know for a fact that food and nutrition is such a huge parenting issue. So many families wrestle with picky eaters, meal times, and how to make food and family fit together better. I was talking with a parent recently who was having some struggles and couldn’t understand why since the family focus was purely on food as fuel—it was all about nutrition and building strong “body machines.” I couldn’t help but think that maybe a little more fun might make things go smoother…
We bring with us so many personal philosophies, baggage, history, emotions, etc. when it comes to food. We may have been raised in a home where there was perpetual dieting, guilt, deprivation, etc. and even if we consciously try to make food different in our homes, we do bring some of that with us. Others of us end up focusing on food purely as a science—only on the clinical and nutritional aspects of food. Our children pick up on what is being said and done in the family, but also on all of that unspoken stuff too. It is no wonder that food issues can be a big deal in many families.
Maybe the goal should be do make it a little fun, a little functional, and try not to make food issues into a way bigger deal than they need to be? Sure, we want our children to learn how to eat healthy and make wise food choices, but don’t we also want them to enjoy the pleasure of an ice cream cone on a hot summer day? Or the reassurance of warm soup on a stormy winter day? I do think that food and parenting can be a big issue in a family, but by finding some balance and trying not to make it too stressful, food can be our friend and not the family foe.
Also: Importance of Dinner in a Single Parent Home
Why Families Should Eat Dinner Together