The Family Dinner Project + Blue Star Families
Revisit Rituals
During times of transition, it may be a good idea to revisit your mealtime rituals. Some rituals may bring comfort while others may be a reminder for you or your children of the void left by a missing parent. It’s well known that kids thrive on structure and routine—on knowing what to expect. So you don’t want to shake things up too much. The idea is to find a healthy balance of old and new.
A Few Suggestions:
- Switch “assigned” seats at the table.
- Pull out new dishes.
- Try some new recipes.
- Introduce a new weekly ritual like “Taco Tuesdays.”
- Or go hog wild like Sarah Smiley, military spouse and author of Dinner with the Smileys, did and invite someone new to the dinner table every week! Not only is this idea fun, but doing something weekly can help kids keep track of time, which can be difficult for younger children.
