I've tried. They "don't like" the options they're able to make themselves. |
Take 30 minutes each night and teach your kids to make their own packed lunch just like they would do for school. This will teach them to be independent and make their own meals, will eliminate their needing you at lunch hour, and will prepare them to make their own school lunches so you don’t have to parent then either. |
Then they don’t eat. |
Make soup for lunch every day. You can keep on warm on the stove and they can serve themselves. |
You explain to your manager that YOU are eating 20 min. later. And eat then. |
This is fun. OP has a reason why nothing works.
How about you make their lunch when you make yours, put it in the fridge and then let them use the microwave when they are ready to eat? I'm curious why that solution doesn't work either, though I'm sure it won't. |
OP, please listen to yourself: your IF comes first, boss/work comes first, and kids are a distant last. You have an excuse why every suggestion made won't work, so its sounds like you're waiting for permission to force the kids to eat early because you can't take 'two' lunches and emails pile up.
Yet, you have time to post on DCUM. The problem is not your kids or work, the problem is your unwillingness to flex a bit and feed your children. If this is all too complicated and fraught with frustration for you, then hire someone to take care of your kids. |
11:45? Surely you can eait 15 more minutes and then can eat 15 minutes eaarlier. All this over 30 minutes? I think your kids can warm a meal in the microwave. Teach them how to do 1 minute. You are home if they need you. If this can not be reconciled, they need care while you work |
OP you just want to argue with everybody here. just do what you want, which is to force your 7 and 8 year-old to eat when you do. not sure why you have to crowdsource a simple parenting question at this age when you don't even want the suggestions |
+2. |
I like flexibility in eating, myself, but I’m sure they have a set lunch time at school and depending on where their grade falls on the schedule, it might be at 11:30. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to schedule mealtime at home if that’s what you want to do.
Personally, if I were in your place, I’d go with one of the two following plans: The night before, kids decide if they’re going to eat with you on your schedule or “pack a lunch” to eat on their schedule the next day. or Keep a selection of lunch choices (deli meats, cheeses, peanut butter, snack packs, fruit, yogurt, etc.) and let them know that you will feed them at the scheduled time, and if they’re not ready they can feed themselves from the lunch offerings. If you want them to eat leftovers, their options might be to eat when you’re warming everything up, or to eat it cold. (My microwave broke recently and I learned that a lot of hot goods can be eaten cold. It may not be what you’d prefer, but it’s cooked so it’s safe. It’s like eating cold pizza.). If they don’t like it cold, they can either accommodate your schedule or learn to reheat their own food. |
Why aren’t your kids capable of using the microwave oven? |
If we are literally talking 20 mins I’m not sure why you can’t compromise. Having said that tell them no snacks in the morning if you want them to eat lunch earlier. They can have a mid afternoon snack instead. |
In your OP you said it was only 20 minutes later, not an hour. But yeah, I'd have absolutely no problem eating food that had been sitting out for up to an hour after being reheated. |
If you don’t want your kids to be 280lbs, then get them to stop snacking between breakfast and lunch. |