momAgenda Blog

How Many Dinners

April 26, 2007 6:16 PM

How many dinners must I make each night in order to be a good mommy?
Seriously, I really can't decide. Is it best to make one dinner for the kids and force them to eat it or suffer the consequences (e.g. no dessert)? Or to make them something else if they don't like the dinner I have chosen?
Last night I made 4 dinners. First, steaks, french fries, and veggies for the kids. Which, naturally, Matt refused to eat. That kid refuses to eat everything with the exception of grilled cheese, but that is beside the point. He is the only child I know who even refuses to eat french fries! So he refuses to eat and I tell him, fine, then no dessert. Then I make dinner for me and Larry -- chicken sausage with vegetables if you must know. Immediately after I finish cleaning the kitchen, Matt approaches me asking for something else. He is starving. I take pity of course (he has these sad puppy dog eyes which make it hard to say no to him) and prepare him a bowl of instant oatmeal. Finally, he goes to play, and at 8:00 I sit down on the couch and begin the process of unwinding from my hectic day. 10 minutes later, who returns but Matt, still hungry, still looking up at me with puppy dog eyes. At this point, I become frustrated. A general rule in my life seems to be that as of 8:00 pm, I am not as good of a mommy as I would like to be. It's like a switch gets flipped and I lose all my patience and understanding. So I put my frustration aside, make him more oatmeal, and tell him that's it for the night, and this time I mean it.
But I really want to know. What is the right way to approach this dilemma?

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