There’s been a big climate change taking place in our house recently.  The weather system of “here are all the dinner options” and “oh, you don’t want this I’ll make something else”… has changed to that of “take it or leave it”.

I am a full time working parent and a full time stay at home mother. Sometimes I feel like I’m crazy.  I grew up with the value of family dinners and home cooked meals and relish the chance to feed our brood.  Our large, diverse brood I might add.  There are 8 of us.  Some vegetarian, some turk-a-pescatarian (don’t ask), some small with a growing but still limited palate, some hungry all the time.  And I have prided myself on catering to them all. Because I love them.  And I love to cook.  Well, actually I used to love to cook. Now its a chore that I have to tick off my list.

But lately I’ve started to wonder. Does anyone understand the time it takes to cater a party or run a restaurant? Because, that’s what it feels like sometimes.  And what would happen if I just stopped?  What am I doing to myself. And to them. By always catering and serving.  What impact is that having on my ability to cope with the demands of each day.  And what impact is it having on them. Always being allowed to choose something different if they don’t like what they’re presented with .  It’s not realistic. After all, life is not a smorgasbord. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and go with the flow. I have now come to appreciate that my children’s ability to do just that is going to be limited if I’ve set a precedent that everything in life is ‘optional’ and ‘up for negotiation’.

So, it’s a new day.  I will gain some time and sanity back by not catering a party each and every night and I will instill the value of “take it or leave it”.  There will now be something that everyone can eat on the table.  If they choose not to, that is ok too, they won’t starve.

How many of you feel like a short order cook on the best of days, taking orders and serving the table?  What’s the worst that could happen if you followed suit, and decided to change the weather system in your household?  Maybe you’d have more time to do the things you like to do, or the things on your list that you never can get to.  Maybe you’d feel less rushed, less stressed, and less under-appreciated.

Give it a go. It’s a new day.