No this is not a secret recipe that will trick your child into eating greens.
And as I explain later, neither is dinner the time to scold your child for a mistake he has done for the day.
Let me ask you this: Do you have dinner with your family every day?
If your answer is “no,” please consider doing it. I have made it a commitment to uphold this family value of having dinner together to the best that I can.
Not that I like to eat (even though I have to admit I do) but dinner is the time for the family to get together and share what everyone has done through the day. Besides filling up your tummy with the last meal of the day, it’s also bonding time.
Even though I have finished eating, instead of leaving the table, I always choose to stay back and watch J and K have their meals. Then, we talk. Just about any topic that we find interesting that day.
Although we can talk in a free flow mode without any control or limit, I would like to insert a story between the conversations. A story that I heard or I read somewhere which can be used to educate J an K on noble values. Heck, you can even tell your own story of what happened to you (or your friend) during work.
I am especially interested to share with my kids stories that are related to humility, respect, self-reliance, being yourself, politeness, being one with nature, simplicity, living, finances, consumerism, and more.
I truly believe story telling (be it true story or fiction) is the most effective way to teach your child about values in life. Story makes them stand up and curious to know more – compared to just telling dry and boring hard facts to the child. Plus, stories have a long lasting impression on them.
Since everybody is around at the dinner table, isn’t it a good idea to include a story telling session that promotes certain values to make dinner more interesting and educational?
It has been proven that making story telling part of the dinner is interesting as J and K wanted me to tell them more stories the other day. I told them I couldn’t as I only prepared for one story.
I hope that, when J and K grow up, they will turn to the stories that I’ve told them for guidance when they are faced with challenges in life.
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For more parenting tips that challenge the norm, check out “The Nonconformist’s Guide to Parenting.”
More details at: The Nonconformist’s Guide to Parenting
