1. Outsourcing responsibility.
Parenting is busy and, at the same time, it’s become easy and the norm to outsource food preparation, meaning we no longer need to prioritise time for the simple and most important art of creating home-made food with our families, sharing, explaining, learning about the food and eating, enjoying it together.
Rather we are outsourcing it for the convenience of packaged food or takeaway and more recently apps e.g. for weight loss in our kids!
Life is busy and it’s an easy choice to grab something ready to go and, every now and again, that’s totally fine, but when you do, take a moment to eat it together, mindfully and gratefully.
Preparing and creating a meal at home IS the most simple, fundamental and important act there can be as a Parent.
- Food is medicine.
- Food is energy. Focus. Good sleep.
- Food is love.
- Food is connection.
- Food is memories.
- Food is life.
- Food is our nature.
2. Convenience.
The convenience of modern-day living is inconveniencing and affecting the health of our families.
Take a moment next time you’re tempted to make a time-efficient choice and decide if you really need to outsource that action or say ‘yes’ to that activity or event or if it’s actually better and potentially more enjoyable, to say ‘no’ or ‘I’m going to do it myself, together’?
When we’re too busy to properly cook, it’s easy to be drawn into societal norms without thinking twice, and actually when we take time to think it through the easy way out is usually not in the best interest of your or your family’s wellbeing.
We are emotional (feeling) beings.
Emotional wellbeing is equally if not more important to our wellbeing than the food we eat, but food has an important role in creating the space for bringing us together and helping regulate our emotional wellbeing.
Our children (and we) need connection, engagement and stimulation of their senses. As their parents we are the primary creators of experiences to expose them to these experiences and the preparation of food is a simple, everyday act that is the perfect way to create this.
The power, connection and emotion that comes from preparing a simple meal together from beautiful raw ingredients and then what that creates when it’s taken to the table – everyone gathers and sits down to enjoy it and eat it together. There is magic in the memories made, the pride taken, the love shown in those moments. It cannot be understated. Just like a simple meal of crumbed lamb chops.
Let’s reconnect with the joy and the memories that preparing and creating food creates.
If we are preparing and creating food at our tables, we don’t need apps or digital devices and kids will never have to worry about ‘watching their weight’ and have the time and ‘head space’ they NEED in today’s world, for fulfilling their most basic, intrinsic needs for health and happiness.
The positive relationship with food our children need can only be fostered by us, their parents or their primary caregivers. There is nobody else and ultimately, I don’t think any of us want it any other way.
What is your relationship with food and how is that affecting your children’s relationship with food? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
After working as an executive in professional services, Kate Barnes started her global business as a Certified Holistic Health Coach. She has a Bachelor of Science and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business. Kate runs an online program, ‘Our Happy Children‘, a leading education program for deeply nourishing families and building strong immunity, great energy and preventing illness. For more information visit Kate’s website, like her Facebook page for loads of daily inspiration, healthy tips and recipes and follow her on Instagram.
