Kids, who don’t have a regular diet of sweet things, really don’t develop a sweet tooth. This I have also seen many times. We never had sweet biscuits in house when our kids were young. Now at 20 and 18, they just don’t eat sweet biscuits, well except for a very occasional chocolate biscuit. They used to feel insulted as small children when they went out and all that was offered to children was cordial and biscuits. I couldn’t count number of times they came to me when we were out and said “Mum, but there’s nothing to eat".

I know kids who don’t like chocolate, as it has never been a part of their diet, or won’t drink frizzy drinks, as they just haven’t had them offered to them at home.

It is important thing to give your child choices, but you can decide what those choices are. Offer them good wholesome food.

Have lots of fresh fruit available. Dried fruits are also very popular with kids. Vegetable sticks are great, give them something to dip them in, like peanut butter and it makes them more interesting. Freshly popped popcorn is always fun and popular. There are many snacks available that are healthy and tasty that your kids will enjoy.

Take time to enjoy your eating time with your family. Teach your children pleasures of good food and fun you can share together in preparation for a meal. Make it an experience.

For each of these items you can ask yourself- is my child happy and fulfilled in these areas? What areas does child need help in? It would be difficult for them to be having fun playing if they have problems elsewhere.

In dealing with each of these items, here’s an example of dealing with a checklist item: Energy Levels/Fatigue: Let’s take a closer look at this. Children naturally have routines during day. Wake-up, get dressed, breakfast, school, after-school activities, suppertime, homework, evening snack, bedtime. Yet you cannot expect children to have same energy level in afternoon after a long day of school/play as they would have in morning when they are fresh from a full night of sleep. Many experienced parents know that when children are tired, especially little children, they just do not function as well in being able to do activities, in listening to their parents, or even at times to behave normally (!!). So this is a good item for checklist: How tired is your child?

“I still find each day too short for all thoughts I want to think, all walks I want to take, all books I want to read, and all friends I want to see.” John Burroughs

For parents, same can apply for time spent with their children! Parents who want to get most out of being able to build relationships with their children should consider (as difficult as it is) to schedule their day around times that children have high energy levels.

An example of a good time to be with children is after supper. Often children are well-fed, and time spent sitting at dinner table allows them to recharge their batteries. They are refreshed and well-fed and ready for some evening activity.

The time that is well-spent with children is like depositing a lot of value into a bank account of love and trust with your child. And what could be more valuable than that?

“Life is half spent before we know what it is.” George Herbert