In the spirit of French parents...

I was reading a review of a new book in our library about French children and how they eat everything. In French Kids Eat Everything by Karen LeBillon, she talks about how French parents were appalled at how LeBillon's children were so picky and how she placated them with snacks. And it got me thinking, is my snack cabinet a bad idea?

Seriously, who has time to have dinner done in a timely manner after working? I get home at 5:30. That is when Scout likes to eat. Well, doesn't happen unless I am home all day. So I start dinner preparations, much to C's dismay, as soon as I get home. I often don't even unpack bags until dinner is over. Or until the kids are in bed. Last night I worked from home until 5:30. But that does not give me the liberty of beginning dinner early. So it was off to pick up S. Then home to start cooking. Chicken Curry with Basmati rice (which is Texmati b/c Shop-Rite no longer carries basmati), Naan and steamed broccoli. S was running through the house looking for evidence of crackers. V was rummaging through the snack closet to find a "healthy" snack we could agree on, and was disappointed to find that cheese curls didn't make the grade. So I succombed to their ravenous appetites with Trader Joes Rounders, or whatever their Ritz substitutes are called. On the stove I had three pots going: chicken browning, rice simmering, broccoli steaming, and in the oven I had the naan warming. The whole time, I am thinking of LeBillion and her French neighbors wondering if I would be chastised for my similar compromises as my children are chewing on crackers minutes before dinner.

But, as we sat down, and I set the rules for V, which are now, "Finish what is on your plate," I found that my children ate well and the crackers didn't seem to impede appetites. And while V found the chicken spicy, I just replied with, "eat it," and she did. No questions asked, because she wanted more naan. More naan? Finish the chicken. More naan? Eat the broccoli. Dinner success...

But overall, am I doing a disservice to my children by having snacks? What is worse, a toddler with a cracker and a sane mommy or a child without a cracker, crying, and a stressed out mommy?

I think V, S, and C would vote a happy mommy.