For the past few days I’ve been staying with my mom who had a knee replacement. My younger sister was here for the surgery and a few days after. I took over on Saturday afternoon and my older sister will relieve me tonight. We’re all taking turns making sure that mom gets her medication and heals safely. I can’t remember the last time I shared a home with my mom—maybe when I was in college? It’s been nice to spend this time together.

Living with her has reminded me what a good food influence she’d been when I was growing up. No food was off limits, but there were boundaries about how often they were offered. My mom loves to bake cookies and she baked a batch just about every week. Often there were homemade cookies in my lunch box. My friends would beg me to trade my peanut butter cookies for their Oreos—sometimes I did!

My mom made balanced meals and we all ate dinner together in the dining room. Dinner always included a salad and side veggie. On Friday night my mom would cook a big batch of popcorn and my siblings and I would each get a cup of soda while we watched TV together.

We bring our childhood food experiences forward with us. I took the lessons that my mom modeled for us (veggies + cookies + home cooked meals + physical activity etc.) and applied them to my own family.

How are you modeling health habits for your kiddos? Want to chat about ways that you can make a few changes for your whole family? Reach out for a Parent Coaching Call if you’d like more support on your quest to feed your family with less fuss.

Snack Idea: Banana bread with cream cheese (one of my mom’s favorites)

Please feel free to share this with someone who may like to learn more about feeding kiddos!