Dinner time

Dinner time is sometimes stressful. Because Victoria eats very slow, she takes an hour to finish her meal, and on rare good days, within 45 minutes. She chews very slowly and keeps the food in the mouth. Even with soup or gravy, it does not help. Repeated reminders to swallow her food have little effect. It's such a stressful event, just to even keep her to her seat because, like many other typical chinese kids, she likes to run around after 2 minutes into her dinner. Yes, she is playful but I think this is due to old bad habits.

I'm not an expert but common sense tells me that children must be taught, from very young, that when eating, they must be put in a baby chair (even when they resist) to sit still until the meal is finished. Children must also understand that the dining area is for meal times, and living area for relaxation and play. Thus, they should only eat at the dining table, not in the living room, where they can roam around, or get distracted.

I hope when it's William's turn, my theory proves me right. There's no harm in a little pat on the hands to "discipline" the child, or a stern "No" to tell the baby that it's wrong.