It's my mom's birthday today. My dad took my mom, me, my sister, her hubby, and their son out to dinner. (Well, he'd intended it to be only my mom, and me, and expected my sister to pay for her, her husband and itself, but it didn't work out that way.
It's been the third time that my 13 year old nephew has gone out to dinner with us at a Chinese buffet restaurant, snacked himself full beforehand, so when he gets his plate he puts a few donut holes on it, eats those, and that's it. So his parents - or tonight, my dad, pays $8 for a few cents worth of food.
And on all three of these occasions - his mom and dad say absolutely nothing. I'm like - don't you think you need to have a word with your son and point out that if you're going out to a restaurant, he shouldn't eat beforehand? Or if he's not hungry, to not take a plate and eat anything, thereby wasting $8?
But even more important than the fact that he's wasting money at the restaurant is that he's not getting any nutrition. Tonight, he'd apparently aten 10 or so Oreo cookies before dinner...had no appetite for dinner so had some donuts. No nutrition at all there. (But of course since he's 13 and has a fast metabolism, he doesn't gain any weight. At least, not any excess weight. He's not getting any vitamins, but he's not gaining any weight.
There's a few lessons to be learned from my sister, her hubby, and their kid, and I share them here for what it's worth.
1. Don't try to be a friend to your kid. As a parent, if you want to watch a TV show, watch it. If your 13 year old son doesn't want to watch it - that's just too damn bad! He is not the head of the household, you are!
2. Do not let your kid snack between meals. At least - not cookies. (Moreover, don't change the time you eat dinner just to accomodate your kid! If he's hungry, let him eat some carrots to take the edge off before dinner time!)
3. In particular don't let your kid snack between meals if you're going out to dinner.
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