Reporting live! Our first kid night is under way… The boys wanted lamb lollipops and red, orange and yellow peppers. They helped cut the peppers and then said we should arrange them like flower petals. How cute is that? Then we needed something to go in the middle, so it would really look like a flower… They chose a big tomato. They have chosen their own napkins and elected to light candles for the table. Now we just wait for the lollipops (425F for about 20 mins) and see what happens!

It still took some work to get them to the table when it was time to eat – Dada was still on a call, a chess game required further contemplation, train tracks called for trains to explore them… the usual! But finally we were all assembled and the boys tucked in without further ado. We were doing the same old thing, and yet it felt different.

So what did I make of kid night? Well, I would say that overall, it was a great success. We ate 10 lamb lollipops between us and there was nothing left of the pepper flower – 3 bell peppers and a large tomato. While not exactly the most elegant meal we’ve ever had, with boys ferociously tearing at meat on a bone and stuffing tri-colored pepper chunks into their mouths in between, it was heartwarming. They said that what they liked about their day was eating supper… quite a turnaround from two nights ago! They said they wanted to do kid night every night and that they really loved it. They ate with gusto and without coaxing. They loved the candles being lit on the table. Why don’t we do that more often?? We had bran muffins for dessert and they were declared to be delicious, even though they were sort of healthy and filled with raisins, normally little squishy sources of tremendous misery.

Kid night has made me think. The prep for dinner could not have been simpler. There were only two things on the table – not so much variety as to overwhelm or confuse. Simple flavors, simple foods, easy to handle. It was very easy for me – low effort, high reward in terms of preparation and stress and actual consumption. And it was easy for the kids, because the pressure was off and they were not required to confront a meal that scared or overwhelmed or daunted them – in its size, complexity or foreign-ness. Most importantly, it was fun!

And that is the thing I want to hang onto; without having kid night every night, how can we make supper fun again? I do think it is important for them to try new things and discover interesting flavors and combinations and broaden their horizons… I’m also not interested in cooking 3 different meals every night based on everyone’s orders. And sometimes I want to pick too!! So I will not be having them plan every meal, but I do want them to feel that sense of control, ownership, playfulness that we experienced tonight.

So how do we bring in the fun? How do we make supper a time to enjoy, not just the signal of enforced eating followed by bath and bed, the end of play time and freedom for the day. I need more time to dwell on this, but look forward to hearing your thoughts and strategies… Good night!