Mother Knows Best
The best piece of parenting advice I ever got came from my mother. I was stressed out because my son wouldn’t eat — what else? — his veggies. He was happy to dine on mac and cheese and more mac and more cheese. Especially more cheese. (This was in the days before my pal Sneaky Chef Missy Chase Lapine taught me you could bury broccoli in just about anything.) I thought I was failing motherhood. I was new at this.
In swooped my mother who told me to calm down. She said you can’t look at what kids (or adults for that matter) eat at a single meal or even in a single day. You have to judge the nutrition they’re getting by looking at what they ingest over the course of a whole week. Then ask yourself: Are they getting fruits and vegetables? Are they getting whole grains? I breathed easier. I had seven days worth of second changes to get him to eat something healthy.
In the years that followed, my mother’s attitude toward food has become my attitude toward life and the whole question of balance. There are very few days where I feel I get it all in. Some days I’m really productive at work. Some days I’m really tuned in at home. Some days I exercise. Some days I’m pooped. But if over the course of an entire week, if I feel I’ve gotten it all in, then I feel good enough.
I shared this piece of advice with my friends — and Today Show producers Alicia Ybarbo and MaryAnn Zoellner and they included it (as well as a bunch of financial tips) in their new book, Today’s Moms. Check it out.
What’s the best piece of parenting advice you’ve ever gotten? If it has to do with money – great. If it doesn’t – that’s okay, too. Comment here. I’ll send the one I like best a signed copy of The Difference.
