by Charlie Brooks posted in Parenting

Children are full of mysteries. For example, how do they not starve to death" My kids have seemingly survived on air and the occasional peanut butter sandwich for years now. I put a variety of healthy food and plenty of veggies in front of them every night, but those meals always wind up as leftovers.
As of now, dinnertime usually consists of my wife and I eating our meals, then sitting at the table bored for another half hour while our kids poke at their food before finally deciding that they?re not hungry. Of course, after the food?s been put away, then they want a snack.
I haven?t found a solution to this problem. I have, however, learned that there are several things I definitely shouldn?t do. I?m happy to share these, in the hopes that somebody will respond by kindly giving me a magical solution that will solve all my dinnertime woes.
Don?t get into a fight. It?s irritating to labor over a meal only for half the people at the table to turn their noses up. However, it?s not worth getting into an argument about it or trying to make kids eat. That makes food a control thing, which can cause problems.
Don?t bribe them with a treat. If you dangle a sugary dessert in front of kiddies in exchange for eating their vegetables, it just sends the message that the veggies are a chore and that the dessert is the actually desirable thing. Desserts serve as good treats, but don?t work well as bribes.
Don?t make them clean their plates. I...