How to Get Your Teens to the Dinner Table
How do you get teenagers to the dinner table?
Sure, they’re hungry all the time. But that doesn’t mean they want to eat with dad or mom or siblings. After all, they have distractions – sports, friends, Facebook, iPod, video games, etc.
Some food gurus will have you believe the way to get teens to the dinner table is to cook gourment meals.
To which I say hogwash. Today at the Silicon Valley Moms Blog, I cook up an answer to the question:
Food or Conversation – What Do Kids Want For Dinner?
(If that pre-programmed link doesn’t work, you can head straight to SV Moms.)
Then come on back and tell me what you want for dinner.
- Parenting is a Contact Sport
- Grilling at the Graduation Picnic (Humor)
- What Goes Down Must Come Up
- Spinach for Breakfast
- Recipe for Chicken and Dumplings
| 
Subscribe | © 2008-2010 David Mott, DadsHouseBlog.com. All rights reserved.
Comment by Travis
| November 13th, 2009
Pfft. Gourmet meals? BS. My kids like good food. Sometimes comfort food. But, gourmet? I try that and I get left-overs. Good for me, but then my kids are scouring the cupboards all night… No bueno.
Travis´s last blog ..Insomniacs Parental Guide to a Bob Dylan Christmas
Comment by BigLittleWolf
| November 13th, 2009
I have one of each – the elder who adores conversation, the younger who loves good food – gourmet food, comfort food, junk food, any food and lots of it. Personally, I’ll take the conversation – even if only occasionally (now) around the dinner table.
BigLittleWolf´s last blog ..Teen Party Planner, the Mad Hatter, Down the Rabbit Hole
Comment by staciesmadness
| November 13th, 2009
I sure am hungry now.
thanks.
My kids aren’t teens yet, but we do sit down every night, hopefully that is something we will continue to do!
staciesmadness´s last blog ..Are you smarter than a 3rd grader?
Comment by Nicki
| November 13th, 2009
I, too, discovered the joy of grilling EVERYTHING out of sheer necessity. (The oven died.) And I have to tell you, it seems like dinner with a single dad isn’t so much different than dinner with a single mom. Okay…aside from the lack of flambe (intentional or otherwise) we tend to gather a little more informally around the coffee table. We’re closer and have a lot more fun.
Kudos to you for keeping it together!
Nicki´s last blog ..Just another snapshot of my life…
Comment by bingo lover
| November 13th, 2009
Ensure to have a Famealy day. Instill to them when they are still young that dinner time is dinner time. no buts, no laters. Sometimes it depends on how they were raised.
bingo lover´s last blog ..Online Bingo Bonuses
Comment by Senorita
| November 13th, 2009
Hogwash is right. I want to know if those gourmet chefs have children and if they are, if they are responsible for feeding their children.
Senorita´s last blog ..Just Babble
Comment by Shay
| November 13th, 2009
Senorita,
I can’t remember the name of the author, but I remember reading an article online written by a gourmet chef fairly recently (it was in the Times or on Slate or something like that to). Her whole point was that she asked her kids what their favorite meals were, and they each picked something that was specifically not gourmet. Her kids were not fussy eaters, and they had been exposed to lots of different cuisines. They had no problems eating gourmet food. However, as her article notes, the kids – when given a choice – wanted repetition and comfort, not adventure and new experiences, from their food. It had nothing to do with how difficult or easy a dish was to prepare.
Comment by T
| November 13th, 2009
I love the last commment from Shay and I get your point. Kids just want comfort…. comfort food, comfort clothes, comfort hugs… comfort.
And though I don’t have teens yet, I do hope they at least appreciate gourmet foods at that age!
T´s last blog ..Blogging my BFF, Hardheaded men & Gratitude
Comment by CheeryWise
| November 13th, 2009
I totally agree. We save fancy meals for Sundays and holidays. During the week, its all about the 1:1 time. The conversation is the most important menu item on the dinner table. It’s a precious few minutes when we can connect with no distractions.
With teens, its hard to find time to stop the whirlwind of daily life. How convenient that they get hungry and need to eat! David, good for you for continuing that family routine, even if June Cleaver is *not* at the table :)
Sad to think about, but I wonder if the kids who have been contemplating ending it all by laying down on the train tracks this past year had regular dinner time together with their parents…
Comment by Heather
| November 14th, 2009
when I was a teenager, and even into my early 20’s my family was the only family basically in town that we all sat at teh dinner table and ate dinner and coversed about our days! I miss it!
Comment by notasoccermom
| November 14th, 2009
We have busy schedules too.. it is a rare thing to eat at the same time as each other. But we love to cook together. Not only can we try a new recipe, gourmet or not, but they also learn to cook for themselves.
Conversation is fun and light-hearted while cooking..hard to talk with a mouthful of food
notasoccermom´s last blog ..My little star
Comment by thewildmind
| November 16th, 2009
Well, if gourmet is the deal I’m doomed. In fact, if regular cooking is the deal then I’m doomed. I can screw up any meal and most of the time my kids tell me my food is disastrous…and they are usually right. :)
I have four children. We ALWAYS have sit down dinners at the dinner table. I’m not kidding. My kids are involved in tons of extra curricular, work, community activities. I have three teenagers. We rarely miss a meal at the family table. I’ve found the key is start when they are young and plan carefully. Stephen Covey, in his book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, mentions this, “Begin with the end in mind”. I started this when my kids were conceived, and have continued it ever since. Dinner time is one of the few times we all are together in one place and can connect. It is a non-negotiable. I also set up other boundaries around this that reinforce it (no eating in the living room or bedrooms and who cares if you’re not hungry you’re going to join us anyway). As a single mom, I’ve taught the kids that if we are to survive this deal we all have to pull together because I can’t do it all. They’ve rallied and come on board with it.
Dinners, as badly as I cook, (and I’m up for a reality TV show “How To Screw Up A Really Good Meal) is never an issue with us even during baseball season, the holidays or football or end of the year stuff.
It isn’t easy, but if one plans early and stays consistent the family meal can happen even during the hectic teen years.
thewildmind´s last blog ..Oz and The Wild Mind Dissolve in The Wicked Witch’s Broiling Cauldron of Relational Malaise
Comment by Rob
| November 16th, 2009
I have 3 kids but only one teenage daughter who is 13 and I agree she is more into the conversation then the food. She like to talk about her day at school and what went on. Not saying she doesn;t enjoy pizza night but she loves the dinner table conversation.
Rob´s last blog ..Monday Mingle November 16th
Comment by Unknown Mami
| November 16th, 2009
Great job on the post.
I’m looking forward to many wonderful conversations shared over dinner.
Unknown Mami´s last blog ..I Comment Therefore I Am
Comment by frustrated but patient
| January 25th, 2010
I came into this teens life when he was 12 and his dad was divorced for several years. At least he talked to me back then and ate my meals. He’s 17 now and sits at the table for hours picking…not even really eating. Then he leaves te food after drinking several galsse sof liquid, gets up and goes in his room. Dad says nothing! Divorce guilt. Everytime I ask him to clear the table, Dad cleans it for him! Can you say SPOILED ROTTEN? Last week Dad said we shouldn’t cook for him anymore if he can’t eat it but of course Dad’s eating his words and still waiting on him hand and foot, enabling him to be lazy! its really hard for me to deal with.