You can't make me! “Eat your veggies,” “turn off the TV,” “do your homework”…sound familiar?  Try as we might to encourage our children to make healthy choices, sometimes the answer is simply “I don’t want to.”  This is when even the most loving parent can get annoyed and say things they regret.  Rest assured that even easy-going kids have days when they’re uncooperative and stubborn. Try to stay calm and avoid getting into a power struggle.   Here are some helpful tips on how to work through these tough moments.  Nourished Kids   Active Kids   Happy Kids   Mini Stuffed Pitas (A great lunch idea and a recipe kids can easily help with!) INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup diced vegetables (such as lettuce,tomato,  zucchini, broccoli, sweet peppers, celery, etc.) 1/3 cup shredded Cheddar or Mozzarella cheese A protein option, such as one boiled egg (chopped), 2 tbsp hummus or tuna, or 1-2 slices of lean luncheon meat 1-2 whole wheat mini pitas, cut in half DIRECTIONS: In a medium bowl, combine vegetables, cheese and protein option.  With a small spoon, stuff filling into pita pockets.  Enjoy as is or pack it for lunch!

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Warm it up by placing pitas on a non-stick baking sheet and bake at 350°F (180°C) for 8-10 minutes or until pitas are toasted and cheese is bubbly.
Serve immediately and enjoy!

Reciped adapted from Dairy Farmers of Canada

NOURISHED KIDS!

• Read into it.  When kids are uncooperative, consider what the underlying causes might be.  They may simply be hungry or tired (we all know what that feels like).  Ensure you and your children have regular healthy meals and snacks to keep energy and spirits up.
  
  
• Don’t force it.  It can be frustrating when you put a lot of effort into making a meal and then your kids won’t even try it.  Increase your chance of success by involving your children in planning the menu.  Meals that respect their preferences for at least part of what’s served will help cut down on battles at the table. 
  
  
• Take a step back.  Avoid getting caught up in power struggles at the table. Provide healthy choices and let your children decide what to eat and how much.  It’s okay to take a step back and trust them to do the eating.
  
  

• Forget the bribe to eat “two more bites.” Food is often used with kids to reward or negotiate good behaviour. Pressuring or bribing children to eat certain foods will likely backfire on you.  Children who are rewarded with food learn to ignore feelings of fullness and will find the reward food more appealing.  Encourage them to try new foods without pressure, and choose non-food rewards like spending time together or a hug.
  
  Helpful Links: 

• Discover the secrets of how to feed children and many fabulous tricks of the trade presented by Ellyn Satter.
• Get more tips on feeding picky kids from EatRightOntario.
• Discover tasty, family-friendly recipe ideas in our new Healthy Recipes for Life section. 

ACTIVE KIDS!

• Give a heads up.  When it’s time to transition to a different activity, give a friendly signal a few minutes ahead of time.  Everyone appreciates that courtesy.  It also helps to make it at a timely moment, such as… “on the next commercial, please turn the TV off and go play outside.”
  

• Offer plenty of choices.  If your child isn’t as active as you would like, they may need a wider variety of age-appropriate activities to choose from. Talk with them about what they are interested in.  This will help to increase their participation, enjoyment and willingness to continue with the activity.

• Praise effort, not results. Be sure to acknowledge how hard they're trying. When your child participates in an activity or learns a new skill, provide them with lots of positive reinforcement and encouragement by telling them how proud you are of their effort.

  Helpful Links: 

• Learn more about PRO Kids which assists children to participate in activities when registration fees may be out of reach.  
• Check out these local events for families:
  - Public skating schedules in Nipigon, Schreiber, Manitouwadge, Thunder Bay,
    Marathon
  - Public swimming schedules at the Canada Games Complex, Volunteer pool,
    Sir Winston Churchill pool, Marathon's Port Hole pool 
  - Youth programs and PD Day activities at the Canada Games Complex
  - The Pre-school Active Play program weekday mornings at the Sports Dome in Thunder Bay

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HAPPY KIDS!

• Praise good behaviour and you’ll see more of it.  The best approach to building cooperation is to give positive attention to your child when they do something good.  Be specific in your praise about what your child did right each time (for example, “you did such a great job making your bed today!”) If you tend to focus more on when your child misbehaves, their disobedience will actually increase.
  
  
• Don’t sweat the small stuff.  When the kids aren’t listening, ask yourself if this is a battle worth fighting.  Minor infractions you may just have to let go of.  When a house rule is broken though, stay calm, talk it out when everyone is ready and follow through with the consequences.  Most of all, avoid taking it personally. 
  
  
• Connect at the end of the day.  Every night, it’s important to spend some quality time talking with your kids, but it’s especially important when you’ve had a hard time getting along that day.  Take a few minutes to talk about what went wrong and how the next day can be different.  You’ll both sleep better that night knowing things are better between you.    
  
  Helpful links:
• Get advice on Children and Difficult Behaviour from the Canadian Mental Health Association.
• Read these 10 tips for Parents of Defiant Children from Dr. Alan Kazdin (ABC News article).

For more great tips and links visit:

• The Busy Parents Guide to Healthy, Happy Kids 
• Previous E-Bulletins

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