{"id":2607,"date":"2011-11-09T11:24:03","date_gmt":"2011-11-09T16:24:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/parentingsimply.com\/?p=2607"},"modified":"2011-11-07T11:31:02","modified_gmt":"2011-11-07T16:31:02","slug":"stop-kids-fighting-5-ways-to-enjoy-a-peaceful-dinner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/parentingsimply.com\/stop-kids-fighting-5-ways-to-enjoy-a-peaceful-dinner\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop Kids Fighting: 5 Ways To Enjoy A Peaceful Dinner"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dear Adina,<\/p>\n
My kids are always fighting over who sits where at the dinner table. They \u00a0all want to sit near my husband. Everyday there is a battle. I am getting so tired from this fighting. It’s ridiculous. Dinner time is really unpleasant. What can I do?<\/p>\n
I would like to say that this is a common problem, but many families do not sit down together for dinner. So start by giving yourself a pat on the back for having family dinner every night.<\/p>\n
Now that I have said that, here are some ideas that can help:<\/p>\n
1. Think of it in adult terms:<\/strong><\/p>\n The most important piece of advice I have for you is this: although it seems silly to you, sitting next to their Dad is extremely important to them. Taking their problem seriously will help you deal with this in a compassionate manner. To help me deal with my kid’s problems fairly I try to \u00a0put myself in my kid’s shoes. Sometime it helps to visualize the problem and imagine what it would look like if I was \u00a0dealing with other adults. Here I can \u00a0think of the time my husband and I volunteered to do seating for our local organization’s fundraising dinner. Many of the attendees had very specific directions on who they could and could not sit with and they were very vocal about it.<\/p>\n 2. Problem Solve:<\/strong><\/p>\n Kids come up with the best solutions. \u00a0I would pose this dilemma to them and hear what they have to say. You want to state the problem simply, without judgement and with a positive twist. You can say:<\/p>\n “Guys, I love to sit down with the family every night for dinner. However, we have a problem. Every night we seem to fight over who sits where. What can we do to make dinner time more peaceful?”<\/p>\n