{"id":5144,"date":"2018-11-12T16:27:02","date_gmt":"2018-11-12T21:27:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.daniellebinns.com\/stagingsite\/?p=5144"},"modified":"2018-11-12T17:51:11","modified_gmt":"2018-11-12T22:51:11","slug":"positive_mealtimes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.daniellebinns.com\/stagingsite\/2018\/11\/positive_mealtimes\/","title":{"rendered":"A question to ask your child at mealtimes…"},"content":{"rendered":"

I shared\u00a0this post on Instagram<\/a>\u00a0a few weeks ago.\u00a0 Yet it wasn’t until I woke up the next day – after seeing alllll the comments and “likes” -that I realized it wasn’t just another Instagram post (that sucked up 20 minutes of my life)!!<\/p>\n

It touched people differently.<\/p>\n

Here’s what happened…<\/p>\n

My mother had strep throat during Thanksgiving, so we were having a belated family dinner at our place.<\/p>\n

While everyone served themselves turkey and the typical Thanksgiving faves (mmm brussel sprouts) I asked my eldest daughter Sienna a question.\u00a0 The question just rolled out of my mouth, without much thought.<\/p>\n

I asked what she was grateful for.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

And I expected my 5 year old to say \u201cmy new L.O.L. doll\u201d\u00a0or \u201cthe pumpkin pie for dessert\u201d.<\/p>\n

But her response was \u201cmy pacemaker\u201d.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Here’s the backstory:<\/h3>\n

Sienna had a heart condition requiring her to have heart surgery at 4 months old (when she was only 8 pounds!!).\u00a0 Because she was too small to operate on, the conduction system in her heart was damaged during the surgery.\u00a0 Hence why she has a pacemaker today, and will for life.<\/p>\n

We asked her to explain why she picked that little machine inside her tummy (I didn’t think she understood the significance of it at 5 years old).<\/p>\n

Her answer \u201cbecause no one else has one…and it makes my heart beep\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"child<\/p>\n

Some tears were shed during that meal. I’ll never forget it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The other day, Sienna floored us again during dinner when she asked \u201care we lucky to be alive?\u201d. It led to a 30 minute conversation about life and why people die. One of the deepest and most memorable conversations I’ve had….with my 5 year old!<\/p>\n

Why am I telling you all this?<\/h3>\n

Because the dinner table has become so much more than just a place to eat for my family.\u00a0It’s now a place where we are having important conversations with our kids.<\/p>\n

Hard conversations.
\nFunny conversations.
\nMemorable conversations.<\/p>\n

I’m passionate about nutrition (obviously), but raising healthy children who are kind to themselves, the planet, and other people (and GRATEFUL for all of the above), is what drives me everyday.\u00a0 And as I’m learning too, it starts by asking them thoughtful questions.<\/p>\n

\"child<\/p>\n

This is what I want my kids to remember about mealtimes.<\/h3>\n

Sitting together, appreciating, learning and laughing (usually at my expense!).<\/p>\n

It wasn’t always like this though!<\/p>\n

I used to\u00a0spend most of our mealtimes focused on what\u00a0my\u00a0kids\u00a0were\u00a0eating or rather NOT eating. That precious time together was being wasted away because all I wanted to talk about was the food – and getting that one more bite.<\/p>\n

But\u00a0now that I know how to feed my family (and my former picky eater), we use\u00a0our time at the table differently.<\/p>\n

\"positive<\/p>\n

YOUR POSITIVE MEALTIMES CHALLENGE:<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Tonight, when your child is driving you crazy (because they won’t sit still or eat their soup), start a conversation.<\/p>\n

Take the focus\u00a0away from the food.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ask them a question :<\/p>\n

    \n
  • what was the best part of their day?<\/em><\/li>\n
  • what’s one nice thing they did for someone or for the planet today?<\/em><\/li>\n
  • what could they do to make tomorrow even better?<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Let’s use dinner time as an opportunity to learn something about our children and the way they think. Yet teach them at the same time.<\/p>\n

    Either way, we will be creating positive memories of mealtimes together.\u00a0 And that you will ALL be grateful for right?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    I shared\u00a0this post on Instagram\u00a0a few weeks ago.\u00a0 Yet it wasn’t until I woke up the next day – after seeing alllll the comments and “likes” -that I realized it wasn’t just another Instagram post (that sucked up 20 minutes of my life)!! It touched people differently. Here’s what happened… My mother had strep throat […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5146,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[97],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nA question to ask your child at mealtimes...<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I've been trying to create positive mealtimes, and learn a few things about my children. While teaching them at the same time. 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