Love, Darcy | Does Cereal Count as Dinner?

Does a bowl of cereal qualify as dinner? What if you throw a banana in the deal? These are the kind of questions new mothers ask. Come to think of it, older, exhausted mothers ask the same sort of questions too. Cooking dinner seems to be the tipping point for many worn out, stretched-too-thin moms. It’s as if she pictures her family standing before her with sad, hungry looks, totally dependent upon her culinary efforts for their very survival. When babies are their fussiest, toddlers are their naughtiest, teenagers are their most selfish, and husbands their grumpiest, Mom is expected to find the time, energy and supplies to fix a four course meal that appeals to everyone and has all of their daily minimum requirements. Frankly, that’s a lot of pressure! And on top of that, at that time of day, Moms can find themselves a little (or a lot) fussy, naughty, selfish and grumpy. The hasty bites of macaroni and cheese and sandwich crusts that they woofed down at lunch may be wearing a little thin by 5:45. So, in light of reality, I vote YES! To both questions. Yes, cereal can be dinner in a box. In fact, you can actually please every single palate around the table by having a variety of choices. And with a banana thrown in for fresh and healthy, not only can everyone’s hunger be satisfied but your conscience is soothed as well. So viva the cereal and Bon Appetite! Here’s to fine dining and Fruit Loops, Love, Darcy P.S. Before you start heaving a sigh of relief that dinner is taken care of tonight, make sure you have milk! Cereal without milk, even with a banana added, is not dinner. It is however the final warning that you have to go grocery shopping immediately! Sign-up to get FREE Parenting tips and encouraging articles by email or RSS feed.