Shhh, don’t say anything. Maybe he won’t notice this pasta isn’t his usual brand.
Haven’t you ever held your breath while you waited to see what your child would do when you switched up his regular routine? Or gave him something new to eat?
Of course, kids always notice. And then they react: “I wasn’t expecting my ravioli to taste like that.”
Kids don’t like surprises.
Unless you mean the kind of surprise that is a gift-wrapped box!
When you spring change on your children without warning you are pretty much guaranteed to get a backlash.
Why shouldn’t your kids rebel if you don’t talk to them first? If for no other reason than that they are surprised?
Kids don’t want suprises (particularly if they’re caught in a control struggle). What children want is the opposite: they want predictability.
But here’s what happens in most homes.
Let’s say you decide you are going to use the Rotation Rule.
- Before you implement it, you prepare. You think through what, when, why and how you are going to do it.
- Then, without any advance warning, wham! You start rotating foods.
- You expect your children to get with the program instantly.
Not only that, you expect your kids to react exactly the way you want them to without any guidance from you. (Remember, you’re still holding your breath and hoping for the best.)
Instead of ceding the power you have to influence how things turn out to fate (or to your wily kids), talk to your kids.
Read You Can’t Make Me Eat It!
~Changing the conversation from nutrition to habits.~
