I remember when I first read the work of Ellyn Satter, a dietitian specialist in feeding kids, I breathed a sigh of relief. Her work felt “right.” I’ll start with something she calls the Division of Responsibility (DOR) to give you a feel of her philosophy.
Division of Responsibility for toddlers through adolescents:
The parent is responsible for what, when, where.
The child is responsible for how much and whether.
“Fundamental to parents’ jobs is trusting children to determine how much and whether to eat from what parents provide. When parents do their jobs with feeding, children do their jobs with eating.”
I don’t know about you, but for me, this feels quite freeing. Yet at the same time tough! How many times have I encouraged a child to take “just one bite?!” Ellyn would argue this well meaning comment isn’t necessary.
As I aim to apply her philosophy, it feels hardest with one of my sons.
I’ll share why this happens + how I’m trying to think about it. Also, here’s the menu for the week of July 29th:
