The importance of the mother’s role should be recognized. One of those roles is as gatekeeper for food purchases and food-related activities.
Here are some tips that may help:
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Establish rules and guidelines for shopping. Children need to know ahead of time what is expected of them. Let them know what you consider acceptable behavior while shopping.
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Shop from a list. Shopping from a list makes it easier to say no to spur-of-the-moment requests. Prepare the list ahead of time by taking an invetory of the food you have on hand and by anticipating the items you will need for the next meals.
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Involve the children in planning the meals. This will help teach them about good food choices.
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Do not shop when you or the children are hungry. You are much more likely to buy items you don’t really want or need if you are hungry, and to purchase more costly, quick, convenience items.
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Do not reward or punish behavior with food. Using food as a reward or punishment can teach children to depend on food later in life when they need emotional support.
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Be consistent. If the response to a child’s behavior is different every time, the child will not know what to expect. Be consistent in your responses to the behavior
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Make mealtime a happy time. In today’s world, families are often so busy they don’t have time to talk to each other.Don’t let the busyness of life steal the opportunity to make mealtime a special time. Regaularly set aside certain meals that are your family’s special time to be together.
