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In reply to the discussion: Crying kid in diner ignites Facebook war between mom, owner [View all]Divernan
(15,480 posts)Children have internal clocks when it comes to hunger. They need to eat at certain (approximate) times. If they don't, after awhile, they no longer feel hungry - but they're very upset. One Mom in the class complained that her kids were cranky at dinner time, squirmed in their chairs and didn't eat. She'd nag at them to sit still and eat and then her husband got upset with the whole crew of them. Turned out Husband ran a family owned furniture store and never got home until 7 p.m. so Mom served dinner at 7.
Meanwhile, the kids were hungry around 5 p.m. When the psychologist explained about internal clocks and feeding them early, mom whined that was the only time for the whole family to be together. Meanwhile, her husband just wanted to unwind for at least 30 minutes when he got home, before sitting down to eat. The psychologist suggested she feed the kids at 5 p.m., have dinner w/her husband and have the whole family share desert. He pointed out that there was no positive aspect to the "family time" as she was presently arranging it.
AT the next week's class, this Mom was beaming. The new schedule worked beautifully and she, Dad & the kids were all in good spirits at their respective meal times and their joint desert times.