I don't know when it happened, but I recently noticed that my daughter says "thank you" to whomever made her meal while she's on her way to the table to eat.
Now, I'm pretty familiar with her meal likes and dislikes.
Not that I purposely try to make anything that she doesn't love, but you really can't please all the eaters all of the time.
It truly doesn't matter to her what we're having.
She says thank you every time.
As a parent, I feel that we should take any opportunity we can to see the positive in our parenting.
To that end, I started thinking about how, as parents, my husband and I may have helped to facilitate this attitude of gratitude when it comes to meals.
I realized that my husband and I are really good about thanking each other when the we are not the meal preparers.
I do all the indoor dinner cooking, so I am really grateful when the weather turns nice on a Saturday or Sunday and my husband heads out to the grill.
There is always a big thank you from me while I enjoy not only the meal, but the time and energy I was offered in place of cooking.
Likewise, my husband thanks me often for the meals I prepare.
Positive examples of parents leads to positive behavior in kids.
It wasn't even a conscious effort on our part.
The other thing, we really have put the kibash on complaining in our home - ESPECIALLY about meals.
When we have something for the first time, we talk about whether or not each of us like it and I keep a mental database of everyone's favorites and their dislikes.
I also solicit meal ideas from everyone when I make my menu for the week.
I certainly try to make things that at least have parts that everyone likes, but there is no such thing as do-overs, peanut butter sandwich replacements, or complaining about a meal in our house.
Simply put, if someone is putting forth the energy, time, and love to make you a meal (substitute: clean your space, help you with a task, teach you something, etc.
), that should be worthy of your gratitude.
These things are not owed to us, not because you're a child or an adult for that matter.
We're all humans worthy of respect and gratitude for the services we offer with love.
So if you're tired of your kids' complaints, try adopting an attitude of gratitude yourself and see if you can be an inspiration.
Now, I'm pretty familiar with her meal likes and dislikes.
Not that I purposely try to make anything that she doesn't love, but you really can't please all the eaters all of the time.
It truly doesn't matter to her what we're having.
She says thank you every time.
As a parent, I feel that we should take any opportunity we can to see the positive in our parenting.
To that end, I started thinking about how, as parents, my husband and I may have helped to facilitate this attitude of gratitude when it comes to meals.
I realized that my husband and I are really good about thanking each other when the we are not the meal preparers.
I do all the indoor dinner cooking, so I am really grateful when the weather turns nice on a Saturday or Sunday and my husband heads out to the grill.
There is always a big thank you from me while I enjoy not only the meal, but the time and energy I was offered in place of cooking.
Likewise, my husband thanks me often for the meals I prepare.
Positive examples of parents leads to positive behavior in kids.
It wasn't even a conscious effort on our part.
The other thing, we really have put the kibash on complaining in our home - ESPECIALLY about meals.
When we have something for the first time, we talk about whether or not each of us like it and I keep a mental database of everyone's favorites and their dislikes.
I also solicit meal ideas from everyone when I make my menu for the week.
I certainly try to make things that at least have parts that everyone likes, but there is no such thing as do-overs, peanut butter sandwich replacements, or complaining about a meal in our house.
Simply put, if someone is putting forth the energy, time, and love to make you a meal (substitute: clean your space, help you with a task, teach you something, etc.
), that should be worthy of your gratitude.
These things are not owed to us, not because you're a child or an adult for that matter.
We're all humans worthy of respect and gratitude for the services we offer with love.
So if you're tired of your kids' complaints, try adopting an attitude of gratitude yourself and see if you can be an inspiration.
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