Here at Greatist, we believe in taking a day off. Instead of our regular programming Saturdays, our writers get a chance to write about living the greatist lifestyle and, basically, whatever they want. This is one of those awesome articles. Enjoy!
I am the boss of malcontents and champions What’s the number one concern for parents? Survey says: getting kids to eat healthier.
“I am not going to eat that!”
“What IS that? It looks disgusting.”
“I thought you said we were having something good to eat.”
“You’re not the boss of me.”
Welcome to feeding time in any household with kids. Meal time with kids can be the most frustrating and maddening part of the day. Veteran moms don’t tell moms-to-be about kids’ nutrition issues, because it would be way too daunting to know this stuff beforehand. There’s a lot of controversy surrounding kid’s nutrition. There is news about banning happy meals, changing the way companies market food to kids, lack of P.E. programs in schools, and now even installing cameras to “study” the choices of kids in a school cafeteria, but this article is not about any of that. As a parent, I am the gatekeeper, so am I doing a good job with the gate? After a recent run of popsicles for breakfast (okay, no judgment here), I knew I had to make some changes. I decided to throw out the unhealthy snacks and replace them with healthy choices. Healthy snacks are very subjective, though. One mom’s goldfish is another mom’s chocolate chip cookie. An all or nothing approach works for my family, but part of being a kid is getting treats, so I did tell the kids that they can have one or two days a week where they can choose a treat. It is going on three weeks now, and with ways less complaining than I expected, the kids are eating healthier. We have gone from the breakfast of malcontents to the breakfast of champions. Not ready to throw everything out? No problem. In the spirit of being the greatist parent, make one small change in your child’s menu this week. Add an extra fruit or veggie to their plate, replace that juice box with a water bottle, or even make your own banana ice cream. I AM the boss of my kids and I get a say in what they eat and don’t eat. That is what makes me the greatist mom.
