Parenting Tactic #1 – Withhold...then Reward

We have never been very good at fasting on Fast Sunday

Mostly the day just comes and goes…we give it a good try, but not really.

It's usually my fault.
I am in such a hurry to get home, get dinner over with and get my nap.

I get tired of fighting everyone…

and I lack a whole lot of discipline myself

Last Sunday I decided to start.

On Super Bowl Sunday of all days.

The second biggest “Food Day” of the year after Thanksgiving.

The older kids did great all day.

I didn’t require much from my little ones.

After church as we all prepared "the feast” it took our minds of eating. 

The grumpiness level was kept to a 4,

and there wasn't a constant chorus of " mom...I'm starving!" 

Weird huh.

So just after kickoff we said a prayer,

filled our plates...

and sat down to eat & watch the game.

I even relinquished the “no eating in the living room” rule for the afternoon.

You would think that I just Okayed the kids to get tattoos, and body piercings.

They were so excited to be eating and watching TV at the same time.


It's nice to see my kids really hungry for once
Typically we come home and eat right after church and I realize that nobody is really hungry because of all the fruit snacks and Sunday treats they get at church.

The kids ate and ate.


We all ate and ate.



 

Too laid back for a Sunday afternoon you say?

Sacrilegious you say?

Maybe,



I am still trying to obtain that balance between keeping the Sabbath Day Holy and ...

our usual hedonistic,
TV watching,
                                                                                                         nap taking,
                                                                                                         kids teasing,
                                                                                                         lazy Sunday afternoon ways.

So withhold...then reward - It makes a person humble and hungry.