When Family Dinners Don’t Look Like You Thought They Would

What does dinner time look like at your house?

Before I became a mom I had these grand plans of how every night we were all going to sit down together, talk about our days, and enjoy each other’s company. There was going to be no complaining about the food I cooked, no outside distractions, and it was going to be a time for us to all come together. It was a nice thought.

The reality is my husband works from about sunup until well past dinner and bed times so during the week he is not present for a family meal. I have two little ones that need my help more often than not with eating their food and one who requires a lot of encouragement to try new foods which takes a lot of my attention. Most of the time by the time the kids are done eating I haven’t really started and just wait until after they go to sleep to have my meal.

I used to beat myself up about not having the traditional sit down family meal. I used to think I was somehow setting a bad example for my kids. It dawned on me one day that there’s nothing to feel bad about. While our dinner time routine isn’t my ideal it is what works for us at this moment in our lives. We may not be having the most meaningful of conversations but my kids are also only 4 and 2. Our dinner time may not look like the dinner time I grew up with but that’s ok. I’m not the same parent my parents were and I’m doing the very best I can.

One thing we do make a priority is having at least one sit down family dinner every weekend. This is a time where my husband can be there and we can all have that special time together. This past weekend we had the opportunity to share a meal together at our local O’Charleys (hosted). O’Charleys is one of our favorite restaurants because they have kids eat free everyday! It is so nice to be able to enjoy a meal as a family that also won’t break the budget. Along with kids eat free they also have free pie Wednesday and right now for every $25 you spend on gift cards you will receive TWO $5 rewards cards. For more information on all of their specials and to find the location closest to you click here.

No matter what dinner time looks like at your house just remember that you are doing a great job!