My kitchen is the heart of my home. My friends all like to hang out in there instead of in my more spacious living room.
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My kitchen is the heart of my home. My friends all like to hang out in there instead of in my more spacious living room.
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How many of us have been witness to a kid having a supermarket tantrum? Recently I was doing my weekly shopping when I heard (but at first didn't see) the screamiest kid I've ever known. Her tantrum was so fierce you could hear her from one end of the supermarket to the other. Underscoring it were the desperate struggles of her parents to contain the noise. Suddenly, the screaming stopped. As I turned down a new aisle I saw a small girl, the source of all the fuss, now happily eating an éclair. Is the supermarket a place for kids?For most of us, supermarket shopping can be a tense experience. We're often in a hurry. We need to make quick decisions about what to buy while scanning shelves loaded to the point of confusion with products. Distractions are not welcome. Kids are not interested in our shopping technique. At the same time, they are the most vulnerable kind of customer. Supermarket strategists are well aware that colourful packaging attracts children. Sweets, cakes, biscuits and other tidbits fill the shelves at child's-eye level. This is true especially for small kids perched in the trolley seat. If a tantrum is every parent's nightmare, for supermarket floor managers, it's a blessing. Floods of tears are often stopped with a promise to buy something – and it's not going to be broccoli! Under pressure, we often indulge our kids more than is usual and buy things we normally wouldn't touch. I was talking with a friend about the screaming girl in the supermarket. My friend babysits two small girls, and her eyes sparkled with mischief. She was well aware of the problem, and she has devised a winning strategy. Share and involve!Her technique is quite simple. It can be adapted according to the age and number of children. All you need is paper and enough pencils to go around.
If you have a toddler, interact with them by showing them each item and asking them to repeat the name of it A little patience goes a long wayYou've tried my friend's strategy and your little darlings are bored and grizzly regardless? Don't despair! Praise their efforts at helping you do the shopping and ask them to look for the ingredients to bake a cake – or cupcakes, or biscuits – once you get home.
Shopping can be the first step in teaching children in eating healthy and mindfully. Offer alternatives when they ask for junk food. Be careful not to patronize! Although they're small, children are smarter than you think! |
AuthorI love cooking, and when it comes to quality I'm quite fussy. Archives
February 2018
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