My spring break was a vacation from phrases I hear all too often and don’t really want to hear again. The phrases are spoken by my daughter, aka, The Teenager, whom I love dearly, but sometimes when she speaks, it affects me like nails on a chalkboard. That grinding, whiny sound that just annoys the you know what out of me.
Phrases I do not want to hear again…from The Teenager or anyone else for that matter:
What time is dinner? (or when will dinner be ready)
What’s for dinner?
I don’t want that for dinner.
When I walk in the door after a long work day and a road rage-fueled commute, these phrases send me over the edge. Especially since they are often the first words spoken. I don’t get a “Hi Mom!” or a “How was your day?” I get, “What’s for dinner.” After going around and around about menu selections (including what is and what is not acceptable to her junk food loving palette), and timing, my response lately has been, “Well, you can have a big plate of nothing!” Any working moms out there that can relate to this? Any women in a relationship who hears the same thing from their significant others?
Clearly, there needs to be some change in my house. Thanks to the advice of great friends (I owe you, Angela), I have an idea! The Teenager will answer her own questions and here’s how:
- The Teenager will have an opportunity to plan the menu. She’s pretty savvy online so she can look up recipes and tell me what she wants to eat. Allowing her to choose should eliminate her dislike for some of my cooking.
- We will allow for one night out a week – either take-out (pizza, Chinese, Subway) or dine out at a restaurant (if I have a coupon or if they offer a special).
- I am going to hang a sign in my kitchen that says, “Dinner will be ready by 7 p.m. Take it or Leave it.” THAT is when dinner is ready.
I’ll keep you posted on our progress. If my next blog post is titled, “What do I look like, your personal chef?” then I might have a bigger issue. If you have any tips or ideas for me, please share. It takes a village, right?
Written by: Jennifer Reeves is a customer-service guru, and she is known around the office for her electrifying personality and contagious laugh. When she isn’t spreading cheer at Serendipity, she is relaxing at her home in Holland with her beloved daughter Mackenzie.
