Growing up dinner time (we called it supper) was a great time for our family. It was about us all coming together at the end of the day and sharing about our day. It was also a safe zone. We could openly discuss pretty much anything and feel safe about it. We were hardly disciplined other than the usual table manners. It wasn’t unusual for our dinners to go over an hour. With the way kids’ schedules are today, family dinners are becoming scarce. I knew before we even had kids that I wanted to continue those type of family dinners with my kids. Up to now, it has been difficult with the kids eating things different than we are. However, Laura is doing really well eating the same thing we are. She has really surprised me with some of the things we are eating. I think a large part of that is we are eating with her and she isn’t all on her own. Warren is still refusing anything that isn’t protein or carbs. Tonight Laura even ate taco salad with us. She needed some help with getting the lettuce on the fork, but then she was good to go. The part I am struggling with when it comes to our family dinners is the conversation. So often we sit in silence. Robert enjoys reading either his magazine or the newspaper while eating. I can’t help but be a bit discouraged that our family dinners aren’t turning out like I had dreamed.
In other news, Laura is still doing great with potty training. She is still very reluctant to go poop on the toilet. I ended up forcing her a bit today. I wouldn’t let her get down until she went (she was dancing around trying to hold it in so it isn’t like she was sitting there without a true need to go). She ended up going and we made a big deal out of it. She is working on earning a sticker for everytime she goes. Once she gets 12 she will get a small toy. If she goes another 12 times she will get a larger one. She also gets one cookie for each time she goes in the toilet. If she goes in her diaper at naptime, I don’t scold her at all since I have told her that is ok to do (just out of desperation to get her to poop at all some days), but she doesn’t get a reward of any kind. I’m looking forward to her not wearing a diaper at naptime. She has been waking up just a little bit wet each day though, so I don’t want to go without quite yet.