How many more bites?

Sound familiar?

I've found a small answer to a seemingly endless question. Let me set the stage: The adults have finished their meals and the kids are still staring and a full plate of food. All of the taupe- and yellow-colored foods have been nibbled away from the rest of the rainbow. And then the question, "Can I be done?" is answered with a patient but firm, "No, you need to eat more." The child asks forlornly, "How many more bites?" 

I know that kids feel comfortable with routine, but this nightly routine is one that gets old more quickly than peas get cold.

Never fear! I have found a working solution! And, it is great on many levels. It provides a flexible "out" for parents, as they see the kids are legitimately struggling, and gives kids a lesson in nutrition and in adding money. No, I'm not paying my kids to eat. I know you were thinking that. And, you were considering it too, weren't you? I knew it!

Here's my new system. When the meal isn't a favorite, and things seem to be going downhill, the question is inevitably posed, "How many more bites?" My response has become, "You need to save up a dollar," (or whatever monetary figure fits your child's addition skill level). 

I tell my kids they are like piggy banks and the food is money. They can "save up" by eating.  (We had been to the bank earlier that day.) Each type of food, or size of bite, is worth different amounts. For example, a small bite of grain such as rice is only worth a few pennies, while a bite of protein like egg or ground beef is worth much more. It's a great chance to explain how different foods keep you fuller, longer. I was surprised that my kids seemed to have no concept of this because I had been explaining it at least twice a week during challenging meals! We have had fun adding up the cents on paper (we're working on double digit addition right now) in between bites. 

The only drawback of this system is that it requires a lot of monitoring by the parents. I try to teach my kids be as independent as possible, but this system works so well, it's totally worth the hand-holding, in my opinion. Plus, when they're tired and low on energy, it seems loving (and helpful) to give a little extra TLC at mealtime. 

Tonight, my kids both ate most of a meal that is historically a struggle. My little guy just wanted to get to the dollar mark as soon as possible, so he ate five huge bites and nearly cleaned his plate. My daughter was being very finicky, but right away, she saw how slowly her bites of rice were adding up so she started to add spinach into every bite. 

This could be one of those things that doesn't work for every family, but it was such a success that I just had to share. Hope it helps!