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Show Parent's Problems . . . Mealtime Complaints Our children have come into a habit of mealtime complaints. The food we eat is good and by any standards adequate. We have tried to show our children how fortunate fortun-ate they are to have wholesome, nutritious food when so many others in the world are hungry. It does no good the complaints continue. con-tinue. Is there any solution? There is no easy solution, but the following sugestion may be of some value: 1. Be sure you have food that ia not only adequate, but palatable, and that it is prepared and served in an attractive way. Variety is important, im-portant, also. Guard against putting put-ting too large helpings on your children's plates. 2. Overcome the tendency to say, "Now be sure to eat this as it is good for you." Children and even adults don't especially like to eat what is good for them. It does not help the situation, either, to keep reminding them how fortunate for-tunate they are to have wholesome, nutritious food. 3. Let your children help you plan the menus for a day or a week. Let them suggest special foods that they would like and how they want them to be served. 4. Have meals on time. Be sure that your children are hungry, which means you will not let them stuff themselves with knickknacks just before mealtime. It is important import-ant that you and your husband show that you enjoy the food. If the children complain, quieUy let them know that this is all the food there is and if they do not care to eat it they must go without. When they discover that their complaints com-plaints do not especially disturb you and that they must go hungry if they do not eat what is put before be-fore them, they are likely to quit making such a fuss over the food. |